Molecular Allergy Chip Detects Allergic Asthma in Individual Patients

Asthma affects about 300 million people worldwide and is one of the most burdensome chronic lung diseases. Despite medical advances, most patients still receive uniform treatments such as corticosteroids, bronchodilators, or costly biologics, raising concerns about the sustainability of care. Yet for allergic asthma, the most common form, a proven and affordable therapy already exists. A new diagnostic chip now offers a practical and accurate way to identify patients who could benefit.

Developed at Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences (KL Krems, Krems an der Donau, Austria) in collaboration with the Medical University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria), the molecular allergy chip contains 63 allergen molecules from airborne sources such as pollens, dust mites, molds, and animal dander. Unlike extract-based tests, it uses purified allergens, enabling precise distinction between true sensitizations and cross-reactions. This design supports individualized treatment decisions and makes the test suitable even for younger patients.

Image: The new diagnostic chip paves the way for a shift in asthma care from symptom control to personalized therapy (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

The chip was applied to serum samples from 436 asthma patients in the LEAD cohort study (Lung, hEart, sociAl, boDy). It identified specific IgE sensitizations in over 70% of cases, showing these individuals had allergic asthma. Patients with this form were younger, had better lung function, relied less on corticosteroids, and showed distinct clinical characteristics compared to non-allergic patients.

These findings highlight that a majority of asthma patients could be treated with allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT), a disease-modifying approach that desensitizes the immune system to allergens. The method could reduce exacerbations, improve outcomes, and decrease reliance on expensive biologics. By integrating molecular diagnostics into asthma care, the chip paves the way for a paradigm shift from symptom control to tailored, evidence-based therapy.

“These results show that a large share of adult asthma patients have allergic asthma – and that we can identify them quickly and precisely. This is important because allergic asthma can be treated causally, not just symptomatically – using allergen-specific immunotherapy,” said Prof. Rudolf Valenta, senior co-author of the study.

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KL Krems
Medical University of Vienna