Dr Steven Maltby

Copyright © 2017 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection induces asthma exacerbations, which leads to worsening of clinical symptoms and may result in a sustained decline in lung function. Exacerbations are the main cause of morbidity and mortality associated with asthma, and significantly contribute to asthma-associated healthcare costs. Although glucocorticoids are used to manage exacerbations, some patients respond to them poorly. The underlying mechanisms associated with steroid-resistant exacerbations remain largely unknown. We have previously established a mouse model of RSV-induced exacerbation of allergic airways disease, which mimics hallmark clinical features of asthma. In this study, we have identified key roles for macrophage IFN-¿ and IL-27 in the regulation of RSV-induced exacerbation of allergic airways disease. Production of IFN-¿ and IL-27 was steroid-resistant, and neutralization of IFN-¿ or IL-27 significantly suppressed RSV-induced steroid-resistant airway hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation. We have previously implicated activation of pulmonary macrophage by TNF-a and/or MCP-1 in the mechanisms of RSV-induced exacerbation. Stimulation of pulmonary macrophages with TNF-a and/or MCP-1 induced expression of both IFN-¿ and IL-27. Our findings highlight critical roles for IFN-¿ and IL-27, downstream of TNF-a and MCP-1, in the mechanism of RSV-induced exacerbation. Thus, targeting the pathways that these factors activate may be a potential therapeutic approach for virus-induced asthma exacerbations.

© 2017 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology Severe asthma has significant disease burden and results in high healthcare costs. While existing therapies are effective for the majority of asthma patients, treatments for individuals with severe asthma are often ineffective. Mouse models are useful to identify mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis and for the preclinical assessment of new therapies. In fact, existing mouse models have contributed significantly to our understanding of allergic/eosinophilic phenotypes of asthma and facilitated the development of novel targeted therapies (e.g. anti-IL-5 and anti-IgE). These therapies are effective in relevant subsets of severe asthma patients. Unfortunately, non-allergic/non-eosinophilic asthma, steroid resistance and disease exacerbation remain areas of unmet clinical need. No mouse model encompasses all features of severe asthma. However, mouse models can provide insight into pathogenic pathways that are relevant to severe asthma. In this review, as examples, we highlight models relevant to understanding steroid resistance, chronic tissue remodelling and disease exacerbation. Although these models highlight the complexity of the immune pathways that may underlie severe asthma, they also provide insight into new potential therapeutic approaches.

© 2016 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by respiratory symptoms, airway inflammation, airway obstruction and airway hyper-responsiveness. Asthma is common and directly affects 10% of Australians, 1¿5% of adults in Asia and 300 million people worldwide. It is a heterogeneous disorder with many clinical, molecular, biological and pathophysiological phenotypes. Current management strategies successfully treat the majority of patients with asthma who have access to them. However, there is a subset of an estimated 5¿10% of patients with asthma who have severe disease and are disproportionately impacted by symptoms, exacerbations and overall illness burden. The care required for this relatively small proportion of patients is also significant and has a major impact on the healthcare system. A number of new therapies that hold promise for severe asthma are currently in clinical trials or are entering the Australian and international market. However, recognition of severe asthma in clinical practice is variable, and there is little consensus on the best models of care or how to integrate emerging and often costly therapies into current practice. In this article, we report on roundtable discussions held with severe asthma experts from around Australia, and make recommendations about approaches for better patient diagnosis and assessment. We assess current models of care for patient management and discuss how approaches may be optimized to improve patient outcomes. Finally, we propose mechanisms to assess new therapies and how to best integrate these approaches into future treatment.

© 2016 American College of Chest Physicians Background Asthma and COPD are common airway diseases. Individuals with overlapping asthma and COPD experience increased health impairment and severe disease exacerbations. Efficacious treatment options are required for this population. Omalizumab (anti-IgE) therapy is effective in patients with severe persistent asthma, but limited data are available on efficacy in populations with overlapping asthma and COPD. Methods Data from the Australian Xolair Registry were used to compare treatment responses in individuals with asthma-COPD overlap with responses in patients with severe asthma alone. Participants were assessed at baseline and after 6¿months of omalizumab treatment. We used several different definitions of asthma-COPD overlap. First, we compared participants with a previous physician diagnosis of COPD to participants with no COPD diagnosis. We then made¿comparisons based on baseline lung function, comparing participants with an FEV1 <¿80%¿predicted to those with an FEV1 > 80%¿predicted after bronchodilator use. In the population with an FEV1< 80%, analysis was further stratified based on smoking history. Results Omalizumab treatment markedly improved asthma control and health-related quality of life in all populations assessed based on the Asthma Control Questionnaire and Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire scores. Omalizumab treatment did not improve lung function (FEV1, FVC, or FEV1/FVC ratio) in populations that were enriched for asthma-COPD overlap (diagnosis of COPD or FEV1¿< 80%/ever smokers). Conclusions Our study suggests that omalizumab improves asthma control and health-related quality of life in individuals with severe allergic asthma and overlapping COPD. These findings provide real-world efficacy data for this patient population and suggest that omalizumab is useful in the management of severe asthma with COPD overlap.

Viral respiratory infections trigger severe exacerbations of asthma, worsen disease symptoms, and impair lung function. To investigate the mechanisms underlying viral exacerbation, we established a mouse model of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-induced exacerbation after allergen sensitization and challenge. RSV infection of OVA-sensitized/challenged BALB/c mice resulted in significantly increased airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and macrophage and neutrophil lung infiltration. Exacerbation was accompanied by increased levels of inflammatory cytokines (including TNF-a, MCP-1, and keratinocyte-derived protein chemokine [KC]) compared with uninfected OVA-treated mice or OVA-treated mice exposed to UV-inactivated RSV. Dexamethasone treatment completely inhibited all features of allergic disease, including AHR and eosinophil infiltration, in uninfected OVAsensitized/challenged mice. Conversely, dexamethasone treatment following RSV-induced exacerbation only partially suppressed AHR and failed to dampen macrophage and neutrophil infiltration or inflammatory cytokine production (TNF-a, MCP-1, and KC). This mimics clinical observations in patients with exacerbations, which is associated with increased neutrophils and often poorly responds to corticosteroid therapy. Interestingly, we also observed increased TNF-a levels in sputum samples from patients with neutrophilic asthma. Although RSV-induced exacerbation was resistant to steroid treatment, inhibition of TNF-a and MCP-1 function or depletion of macrophages suppressed features of disease, including AHR and macrophage and neutrophil infiltration. Our findings highlight critical roles for macrophages and inflammatory cytokines (including TNF-a and MCP-1) in viral-induced exacerbation of asthma and suggest examination of these pathways as novel therapeutic approaches for disease management.

© 2015 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Background Steroid-resistant asthma is a major clinical problem that is linked to activation of innate immune cells. Levels of IFN-¿ and LPS are often increased in these patients. Cooperative signaling between IFN-¿/LPS induces macrophage-dependent steroid-resistant airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in mouse models. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate the function of innate immune cells by controlling mRNA stability and translation. Their role in regulating glucocorticoid responsiveness and AHR remains unexplored. Objective IFN-¿ and LPS synergistically increase the expression of miR-9 in macrophages and lung tissue, suggesting a role in the mechanisms of steroid resistance. Here we demonstrate the role of miR-9 in IFN-¿/LPS-induced inhibition of dexamethasone (DEX) signaling in macrophages and in induction of steroid-resistant AHR. Methods MiRNA-9 expression was assessed by means of quantitative RT-PCR. Putative miR-9 targets were determined in silico and confirmed in luciferase reporter assays. miR-9 function was inhibited with sequence-specific antagomirs. The efficacy of DEX was assessed by quantifying glucocorticoid receptor (GR) cellular localization, protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity, and AHR. Results Exposure of pulmonary macrophages to IFN-¿/LPS synergistically induced miR-9 expression; reduced levels of its target transcript, protein phosphatase 2 regulatory subunit B (B56) d isoform; attenuated PP2A activity; and inhibited DEX-induced GR nuclear translocation. Inhibition of miR-9 increased both PP2A activity and GR nuclear translocation in macrophages and restored steroid sensitivity in multiple models of steroid-resistant AHR. Pharmacologic activation of PP2A restored DEX efficacy and inhibited AHR. MiR-9 expression was increased in sputum of patients with neutrophilic but not those with eosinophilic asthma. Conclusion MiR-9 regulates GR signaling and steroid-resistant AHR. Targeting miR-9 function might be a novel approach for the treatment of steroid-resistant asthma.

© 2015 Tay et al. Pathogenic bacterial infections of the lung are life threatening and underpin chronic lung diseases. Current treatments are often ineffective potentially due to increasing antibiotic resistance and impairment of innate immunity by disease processes and steroid therapy. Manipulation miRNA directly regulating anti-microbial machinery of the innate immune system may boost host defence responses. Here we demonstrate that miR-328 is a key element of the host response to pulmonary infection with non-typeable haemophilus influenzae and pharmacological inhibition in mouse and human macrophages augments phagocytosis, the production of reactive oxygen species, and microbicidal activity. Moreover, inhibition of miR-328 in respiratory models of infection, steroid-induced immunosuppression, and smoke-induced emphysema enhances bacterial clearance. Thus, miRNA pathways can be targeted in the lung to enhance host defence against a clinically relevant microbial infection and offer a potential new anti-microbial approach for the treatment of respiratory diseases.

Chronic inflammatory diseases (e.g. asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) are leading causes of morbidity and mortality world-wide and effective treatments are limited. These disorders can often be attributed to abnormal immune responses to environmental stimuli and infections. Mechanisms leading to inflammation are complex, resulting from interactions of structural cells and activation of both the adaptive and innate arms of the immune system. The activation of structural and immune cells involves both temporary and permanent changes in gene expression in these cells, which underpin chronic inflammation and tissue dysfunction. miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs increasingly being recognized to play important roles in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in mammalian cells by regulating translation. Individual miRNAs can exert their effects by directly inhibiting the translation or stability of multiple mRNAs simultaneously. Thus, the expression or blockade of function of a single miRNA (miR) can result in pronounced alterations in protein expression within a given cell. Dysregulation of miRNA expression may subsequently alter cellular function, and in certain situations predispose to disease. Our current understanding of the role of miRNA in the regulation of inflammatory disease (e.g. allergic diseases) remains limited. In this review, we provide an overview of the current understanding of miRNA biogenesis and function, the roles miRNA play in the regulation of immune cell function and their potential contribution to inflammatory diseases. We also highlight strategies to alter miRNA function for experimental or therapeutic gain, and discuss the potential utility and limitations of targeting these molecules as anti-inflammatory strategies. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.