Asthma has no cure. For some, the risk is in this gene, Chinese team finds

The team has mapped how genetic variations influence immune cell function and disease development, creating a tool to help researchers understand how particular gene variations make people more likely to develop certain diseases and potentially guide the development of precise treatments, including immunotherapy.

The peer-reviewed journal Science this month published the research by scientists from various Chinese institutes, including the State Key Laboratory of Genome and Multi-omics Technologies at BGI-Research, Shanxi Medical University, Ruijin Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University school of medicine and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“Our work offers a framework to refine our understanding of human immune diversity and dissect the genetic basis of immune-mediated diseases,” they wrote.

The researchers created the Chinese Immune Multi-Omics Atlas by profiling more than 10 million immune cells from the blood samples of 428 Chinese adults aged between 20 and 77. From these, they identified 73 types of immune cells, even rare ones that make up less than 0.1 per cent of the cells in the blood.

For asthma, the study uncovered how a specific genetic variation affects regulatory T cells, which are key for controlling the immune system and preventing it from overreacting. The variation may cause regulatory T-cell dysfunction by modulating gene expression, leading to an increased risk of asthma susceptibility, according to the paper.

The team also found that this genetic variation was linked to higher levels of a protein that triggers airway inflammation when exposed to allergens.