Abstract
Many patients have uncontrolled asthma despite available treatments. Most of the new asthma therapies have focused on Type-2 (T2) inflammation, leaving an unmet need for innovative research into mechanisms of asthma beyond T2 and immunity. An international group of investigators developed the International Collaborative Asthma Network (ICAN) with the goal of sharing innovative research on disease mechanisms, developing new technologies and therapies, organising pilot studies, and engaging early-stage career investigators from across the world. This report describes the purpose, development, and outcomes of the first ICAN forum.
Abstracts were solicited from interdisciplinary early-stage career investigators with innovative ideas beyond T2 inflammation for asthma and were selected for presentation at the forum. Breakout sessions were conducted to discuss innovation, collaboration, and research translation.
The abstracts were categorised into 1) general omics and big data analysis; 2) lung-brain axis and airway neurology; 3) sex differences; 4) paediatric asthma; 5) new therapeutic targets inspired by airway epithelial biology; 6) new therapeutics targeting airway and circulating immune mediators; and 7) lung anatomy, physiology, and imaging. Discussions revealed that research groups are looking for opportunities to further their findings using larger scale collaboration and the ability to translate their in vitro findings into clinical treatment.
Through ICAN, teams that included interdisciplinary early-stage career investigators discussed innovation, collaboration, and translation in asthma and severe asthma research. With a combination of fresh ideas and energetic, collaborative, global participation, ICAN has laid a firm foundation and model for future collaborative global asthma research.
Footnotes
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Conflict of interest: B. Gaston is a founder and equity holder in Respiratory Research, Inc. and Airbase Breathing Company.
Conflict of interest: D.D. Gardner has nothing to disclose. K. Mahan is an equity holder of Atelerix Life Sciences, Inc.
Conflict of interest: P. Akuthota reports consultancy fees and research funding from GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, and Sanofi and research funding from Regeneron.
Conflict of interest: E.A. Mendonca has no conflict of interest to report.
Conflict of interest: H. Durrington has provided paid consultancy work for Chiesi.
Conflict of interest: N. Marozkina has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: R.T. Martinez-Nunez is funded by AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline who had no input on this work.
Conflict of interest: D. Newcomb has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: B. Ainsworth has received honoraria from AstraZeneca and Roche Ltd.
Conflict of interest: A.H. Owora has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: K. F. Chung has received honoraria for participation on advisory board meetings of AstraZeneca, Roche, Merck, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Nocion, Shionogi, and Rickett-Beckinson and has also been renumerated for speaking engagements for Sanofi, Novartis and AstraZeneca.
Conflict of interest: S. Walker has no direct conflicts of interest regarding this work.
Conflict of interest: S.J. Fowler has no direct conflicts of interest regarding this work.
Conflict of interest: S. Siddiqui has no direct conflicts of interest regarding this work.
Conflict of interest: T. Winders has no direct conflicts of interest regarding this work; however, her institution has received funding for unbranded disease awareness and education from the following: AbbVie, ALK, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Incyte, Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi/Regeneron, and TEVA.
Conflict of interest: J. Zein has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: N. Jarjour has received consulting fees from GlaxoSmithKline.
Conflict of interest: Y.J. Huang has received payments for participating on advisory board meetings for Alveolus Bio.
Conflict of interest: K.N. Cahill is an advisory board member for AstraZeneca, Regeneron, and GlaxoSmithKline, a consultant for Ribon Therapeutics, Third Harmonic Bio, and Verantos, and receives investigational product support from NovoNordisk and royalties from UpToDate. R. Djukanovic has received payments for advisory boards and consulting of Sanofi, Kymab Cambridge and Synairen and he is the co-founder of Synairgen where he also has shares.
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- Received February 10, 2023.
- Accepted April 9, 2023.
- Copyright ©The authors 2023
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