Biologic Drugs: The Evolution of Asthma Therapeutics
A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Immunology and Immunotherapy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 1885
Editors
Interests: COPD; eosinophilic asthma
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: asthma; lung immunology; COPD; COVID-19
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Asthma is a heterogeneous respiratory disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation, clinically expressed by different phenotypes driven by complex pathobiological mechanisms (endotypes). Within this context, over the last few years, several molecular effectors and signalling pathways have emerged as suitable targets for biological therapies in severe asthma that is refractory to standard treatments. Indeed, many therapeutic antibodies currently allow to interfere at different levels with the chain of pathogenic events leading to airway inflammation. In addition to pro-allergic immunoglobulin E (IgE), which chronologically represents the first molecule against which an anti-asthma monoclonal antibody was developed, other targets are now successfully exploited by biological treatments for severe asthma. In particular, interleukin 5 (IL-5) or its receptor can be targeted by powerful anti-eosinophilic biologics. Moreover, the pleiotropic effects of interleukins 4 (IL-4) and 13 (IL-13) can be blocked at the receptor level, and the alarmin thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) can also be neutralized by a specific inhibitor. In addition to these currently available drugs, other biologics are under clinical development. Therefore, ongoing and future biological therapies are significantly changing the global scenario of severe asthma management. These new therapeutic options make it possible to implement phenotype/endotype-specific treatments that precisely address the individual traits of asthma pathobiology, thereby delineating personalized approaches. Such tailored strategies thus allow for the successful targeting of the immune–inflammatory responses underlying uncontrolled, severe asthma.
Prof. Dr. Girolamo Pelaia
Dr. Corrado Pelaia
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- severe asthma
- IgE
- IL-4
- IL-5
- IL-13
- TSLP
- monoclonal antibodies
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