Welcome to the seventh issue of the Refractory Asthma Stratification Programme (RASP-UK) newsletter, you can download it here [1].

We’ve seen several of our key studies completed over the past few months and we’ll share more information in this edition. As we approach the end of our fourth year of the programme, we are looking ahead to sharing the results from our various work-strands and we’ll update you on how we plan to do this.

RASP-UK underwent its latest progress review by the MRC on 08 May 2019. As the consortium was judged to be on target in the November 2018 review, we were only required to submit a progress report to the committee. The feedback from the meeting was succinct and positive. The Precision Medicine Group thanked the Team for their written report. The Group congratulated the consortium on their success in attracting funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative. All of the reports we submit to the MRC are available on the RASP-UK website.

Update reports are also provided on:

• Work-strand 1: Biostratification Study.
• Work-strand 2: Bronchoscopy Study.
• Work Strand 3 The Study of Mechanisms of Action of Omalizumab in Severe Asthma.
• Work-strand 4 Progress Update: Work-strand 4 had no pre-specified studies when we started the programme. We now have three projects included in this work-strand.

In the last 12 months the consortium has published a new manuscript [2].

References

1. RASP-UK consortium newsletter #7
2. Heaney LG, et al. Remotely Monitored Therapy and Nitric Oxide Suppression Identifies Nonadherence in Severe Asthma. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2019 Feb 15;199(4):454-464.