Elizabeth A. Jacobsen, Ph.D.

Nearly 50% of asthma emergency room visits and hospitalizations are due to a small portion of patients that have a severe form of asthma. Systemic steroids, the standard treatment, are often ineffective in these patients and cause negative side effects, which in combination with the disease, result increased illness and death. Although the reasons are unclear, the eosinophil, a white blood cell found in the lungs of asthma patients, is resistant to inhibition by steroids in this population. As a consequence, eosinophils continue to interact with another critical asthma-associated cell called group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s). We will identify the mechanisms leading to eosinophil steroid resistance and the consequences on ILC2 function. This research may provide novel targets for treatment of patients with severe asthma.