An interventional study of Blood sampling and Nasosorption in Asthma, Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyps and Chronic Rhinosinusitis (Diagnosis), sponsored by Medical University of Vienna. Recruiting at 1 site in Austria. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 99 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-05-07.
Sponsored by Medical University of Vienna · Not applicable, Interventional, and Screening
Asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) are inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract, asthma from the lower part, and CRS, from the upper part. In theory, these parts are correlated as if they are one single organ, namely "united airways", which means that if one is affected by any condition, the other might be impacted as well. However, this relationship has not yet been described down to the cellular and molecular levels. By investigating patients that have (1) asthma and CRS with nasal polyp, (2) asthma and CRS without nasal polyp, and (3) just CRS with nasal polyp, we aim to determine the correlation of the upper and lower part of the respiratory tract. At first, the characterization of disease will be determined by established clinical criteria, such as lung function, blood analysis for the presence of eosinophils (a type of white cells), and nasal polyp score. To continue, in-depth analysis of nose, oropharynx, and lung samples will help gain information about the inflammatory profile and local microbiome of the three different groups of patients through molecular and cellular assays. The results of this study will help to describe the hypothesis of the united airways which will provide better guidance for medical treatment of asthma and CRS with or without polyp, thus improving the life quality of patients.
Background Both, asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) are inflammatory conditions of the airways. The prevalence of asthma - with its cardinal symptoms wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing - has risen over the past decades not only in industrial but also in developing countries. For instance, about 8% of the United States' population and 8.2% of Europeans are diagnosed with asthma. Chronic rhinosinusitis with (CRSwNP) and without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) is a condition affecting up to 16% and 11% of the US and European population, respectively3. Both diseases, asthma and CRS, can severely impair quality of life as well as productivity and therefore embody an immense socioeconomic burden.
Despite the distinction of the respiratory tract in the upper and lower airways, both parts are anatomically and immunologically related. This led to the concept of "United airway diseases" assuming that upper and lower airways form a single organ. Consequently, inflammation in the upper affects the lower respiratory tract and vice versa. This concept initially described in the context of allergic respiratory disease can also be extended to the link between sinonasal and lower airway diseases. Accordingly, the association between asthma and CRS prevalence has been unambiguously shown in epidemiological studies: around 20% of CRSsNP patients and around 48% of CRSwNP patients suffer from asthma. Conversely, nasal polyposis is detected in 19 to 25% of asthmatics. In cases of severe asthma, even up to 54% of patients were reported to have a history of nasal polyposis. However, the pathophysiological mechanism underlying the association of asthma and CRS has been poorly investigated so far.
Based on the predominant inflammatory profile, asthma can be separated into T2-high and T2-low endotypes. Thereby, around 60% of severe asthma patients show a T2-high profile. The picture is becoming even more complex regarding classifications of CRS. Phenotypically we distinguish between CRSsNP and CRSwNP. However, up to 10 different endotypes of CRS can be defined based on various different inflammatory markers in nasal polyps or nasal secretions. Approaches to characterize endotypes describing conditions involving both asthma and CRS have barely been made so far.
On a cellular and protein level, it seems that higher concentrations of Staphylococcus enterotoxin-specific IgE, total IgE and eosinophil cationic protein in nasal polyp tissue are indicators for a higher risk of asthma. Furthermore, it was observed that patients with CRS and eosinophilic asthma (as determined by FeNO levels only) show high numbers of eosinophils in their nasal polyps. This nasal polyp eosinophilia was associated with a more severe asthma phenotype as well as larger polyps and a significantly higher nasal polyp recurrence rate compared to non-eosinophilic patients. However, up to this point, no study investigated whether inflammatory profiles in polyps and asthmatic lungs correspond and how inflammatory profiles of patients suffering from asthma with or without polyps may differ.
Novel antibody-based therapies targeting mediators of type 2 immune response are constantly emerging as new treatment options for patients with severe chronic airway diseases. Therapeutic antibodies targeting IgE or IL-4/IL-13, IL-5, or IL-5 receptor-mediated pathways are currently licensed for the treatment of asthma but have also successfully been used to treat CRSwNP to some extent. In this respect, anti-IgE (omalizumab) and anti-IL4α receptor (dupilumab) specific monoclonal antibodies have recently been licensed for the treatment of nasal polyps and CRSwNP respectively. Antibodies targeting molecules further upstream in the inflammatory cascade such as TSLP or IL-33 are currently under development. Anti-TSLP antibodies showed first promising results in clinical trials including patients suffering from uncontrolled asthma. Despite targeting molecular pathways involved in the pathogenesis of both diseases, some monoclonal antibodies such as reslizumab are effective in treating asthma but fail to significantly ameliorate nasal polyposis. Interestingly, a post-hoc responder analysis showed that the group of patients with high baseline IL-5 levels in nasal secretions improved upon reslizumab treatment, while the other patient groups did not. These findings illustrate the urgent need to better understand the pathomechanism and potential links underlying both diseases in order to choose the right therapy for the right patient.
In this study we plan to:
4,841 studies on the registry are indexed under Asthma; 600 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 30 is below the median of 78 across 3,341 interventional studies indexed under Asthma.
Browse Asthma studies →Medical University of Vienna is the lead sponsor of 1,109 studies on the registry; 184 are open to participants now.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
All patients who
Asthma treatment for a minimum of 12 weeks prior to screening visit
Group with polyps: Presence of CRSwNP as confirmed by endoscopy or CT according to the European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and CRSwNP Guidelines)
Exclusion Criteria:
Patients with any other confounding underlying lung disorder including but not limited to:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Clinically significant
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Immunosuppression
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
* FeNO \> 25 ppB * Had either two times \>= 250 eosinophils /µl measured in the blood OR one measurement of blood eosinophils \>= 250 cells/µl (one of the two measurements at the screening visit) and/or one measurement of sputum eosinophils \> 2% within the last 12 months * Presence of CRSwNP as confirmed by endoscopy or CT according to the European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and CRSwNP Guidelines) * Patients with a history of treatment with monoclonal antibodies for asthma or polyps will only be included if at least a washout period of 5 half-lives or at least 3 months have passed
Procedure: Blood sampling · Procedure: Nasosorption · Procedure: Oral sampling · Procedure: Bronchoscopy · Procedure: Nasal biopsy · Procedure: Nasal sampling · Procedure: Nasal mucosa mRNA sampling · Diagnostic Test: Pregnancy test · Other: Medical history of patients, demographic data, concomitant medication, questionnaire · Diagnostic Test: UPSIT smell test · Procedure: Spirometry · Procedure: FeNO · Procedure: Lung X-Ray
* FeNO \> 25 ppB * Had either two times \>= 250 eosinophils /µl measured in the blood OR one measurement of blood eosinophils \>= 250 cells/µl (one of the two measurements at the screening visit) and/or one measurement of sputum eosinophils \> 2% within the last 12 months * Absence of NP as confirmed by endoscopy or CT according to the European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and CRSwNP Guidelines) * Patients with a history of treatment with monoclonal antibodies for asthma or polyps will only be included if at least a washout period of 5 half-lives or at least 3 months have passed
Procedure: Blood sampling · Procedure: Nasosorption · Procedure: Oral sampling · Procedure: Bronchoscopy · Procedure: Nasal sampling · Procedure: Nasal mucosa mRNA sampling · Diagnostic Test: Pregnancy test · Other: Medical history of patients, demographic data, concomitant medication, questionnaire · Diagnostic Test: UPSIT smell test · Procedure: Spirometry · Procedure: FeNO · Procedure: Lung X-Ray
* Presence of CRSwNP as confirmed by endoscopy or CT according to the European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps Guidelines26 * Evidence of Type 2 inflammation: blood eosinophils \>= 250 cells/µl measured in the blood OR total IgE \>100 kU/L26 at the screening visit * Absence of asthma and N-ERD * Patients with a history of treatment with monoclonal antibodies for asthma or polyps will only be included if at least a washout period of 5 half-lives or at least 3 months have passed
Procedure: Blood sampling · Procedure: Nasosorption · Procedure: Oral sampling · Procedure: Bronchoscopy · Procedure: Nasal biopsy · Procedure: Nasal sampling · Procedure: Nasal mucosa mRNA sampling · Diagnostic Test: Pregnancy test · Other: Medical history of patients, demographic data, concomitant medication, questionnaire · Diagnostic Test: UPSIT smell test · Procedure: Spirometry · Procedure: FeNO · Procedure: Lung X-Ray
Blood collection for PBMC isolation, measurement of cytokines in serum, and mass cytometry
Nasosorptions will be applied for the collection of nasal secretions (Nasosorption FX-I, Hunt Developments (UK) Limited, Midhurst, West Sussex, United Kingdom). Under visualization, the device will be inserted into the nasal cavity and be placed along the lateral wall against the inferior turbinate. The index finger of the patient will be used to press onto the external aspects of the alar and lateral nasal cartilages to hold the device in place. After 1 minute, the devices will be removed.
For oral sampling, saliva collection devices (SuperSAL or PureSAL, Oasis Diagnostic Corporation, USA) will be applied followed by elution. Then swabs optimized for the collection of specimens will be applied (CLASSIQSwabs, Copan Diagnostics Inc. Murietta, CA, USA) to the dorsum of the tongue.
The bronchoscopy will be performed in the outpatient clinic of the Department of Pulmonology. Bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL): the bronchoscope is wedged in the segmental or subsegmental bronchus of the middle lobe. Up to 300 ml sterile normal saline is injected stepwise via handheld syringe and then gradually withdrawn back into the syringe. BAL fluid (BALF) will be prepared and further analyzed in the lab. Transbronchial biopsy (TBLB): performed by forceps in the lung periphery under fluoroscopy guidance. Up to 4 biopsies are taken in two different lobes of one lung with a distance of 1-2 cm to the pleura. TBLB is only performed in patients who have got not contraindications.
Nasal biopsies will be taken during routine endoscopy performed to score CRSwNP. Patients will receive local anesthesia and decongestants prior to obtaining the biopsy. Samples will either be embedded in OCT or processed for cellular analysis
Swabs optimized for the collection of specimens will be applied (CLASSIQSwabs, Copan Diagnostics Inc. Murietta, CA, USA) to the anterior naris and middle meatus of each nostril
Mucosal mRNA sampling will be performed using a 10cm nasal curette (either Rhino-Probe, Arlington Scientific, USA or Cellskim, Hunt Developments, UK). Under direct visualization, the curette will be brought to lie against the mid-inferior portion of the inferior turbinate. The curette will be pressed against the mucosal surface moved outwards 2-3 times. This motion will be repeated 2-3 times to ensure good sample collection. This curette and technique have been shown to cause no significant discomfort to patients and thus it has the advantage of no requirement for local anesthetics.
In female patients, pregnancy will be excluded with a standard urine pregnancy test at the beginning of the main visit.
Patients will be asked for their medical history including demographic data and concomitant medication. Details will be noted in the source data file. Furthermore, patients will receive a questionnaire including tools to assess QOL impairment by CRS and asthma
University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) smell test will be performed by the patients during the study. It consists of 40 questions in 4 different booklets. The patient needs to scratch a sniff strip with the microencapsulated odorant using a pencil and mark his choice on four-choice multiple-choice questions. The test is then scored by the study team out of the 40 items.
Lung function will be measured by spirometry in the lung function unit of the Department of Pulmonology. Spirometry will be performed according to American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) guidelines by authorized and properly certified personal.
Airway inflammation will be evaluated using a standardized single-breath FeNO test in accordance with the lung function unit of the Department of Pulmonology. A single exhalation technique recommended by the manufacturer will be followed. The FeNO measurements will not be performed within 2 weeks of a respiratory infection. The FeNO test will be performed prior to spirometry. Subjects should not eat or drink 1 hour prior to having the FeNO test. Subjects should not use their rescue SABA medication (e.g., albuterol/salbutamol) within 6 hours of the measurement. Inhaled bronchodilators (including ICS/LABA) should be withheld for the effect duration specific to the bronchodilator. If not, the assessment should be postponed till after the required time has passed since the meal or drink or bronchodilator inhalation. The NIOX VERO® Airway Inflammation Monitor will be used to measured FeNO in the lung function unit of the Department of Pulmonology.
After the bronchoscopy, a lung x-ray will be performed and patients will stay overnight in the ward of the Department of Pulmonology.
Inflammatory profile in different sections of the airways
Concentration of selected inflammatory mediators in T2-high asthmatic patients with and without polyps and in patients with CRSwNP in absence of asthma
Time frame: 2 years
Endotype and immunological profile of CRSwNP
Number of patients with specific endotypes of polyps and concentration of selected inflammatory mediators of various anatomic locations in the airways both in tissue and secretion samples in patients suffering from T2-high asthma with or without CRSwNP and in patients with CRSwNP in absence of asthma.
Time frame: 2 years
Microbiome composition in nose, oropharynx and bronchi in T2-high asthmatic patients with and without CRSwNP, N-ERD compared to patients with CRSwNP in absence of asthma
Number of different bacterial strains in different anatomical locations in asthmatic patients with and without polyps and CRSwNP patients in absence of asthma and to evaluate differences.
Time frame: 2 years
Plan to share: Undecided
Started Sep 2021 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Sep 2025, 48 months after the start.
Of 599 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Asthma, half reached primary completion within 24 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 50. This study's planned 48 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 649 studies reached it within 23 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 48.
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