The Pediatric Asthma Risk Score (PARS): Jocelyn Biagini Myers, PhD; Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD

Jocelyn Biagini, PhD, and Gurjit Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD, developed a new, personalized and predictive asthma risk algorithm that integrates clinical and demographic factors called the Pediatric Asthma Risk Score (PARS). Utilizing data from the well-established Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study (CCAAPS) birth cohort, they evaluated factors known to associate with asthma and created a scoring system that returns a continuous and personalized asthma risk score. This new scoring system is unlike the existing Asthma Predictive Index (API) which gives a simple yes/no. By answering just six simple questions (regarding parental asthma, eczema, early wheezing, wheeze apart from colds, race, and sensitization to two or more allergens), parents and clinicians can calculate a child’s personalized PARS score and determine their risk of developing asthma. The PARS is superior to the API with an 11% increase in ability to accurately detect children that will go on to develop asthma. There was a replication of PARS in the Isle of Wight birth cohort, a population recruited 10 years prior to CCAAPS on a different continent with a different demographic, which demonstrated the robustness of PARS. PARS is available as a web application and is also available for download in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.

First IND Study in Asthma Research: Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD

Dr. Khurana Hershey has received FDA approval for her first investigational new drug (IND) study. Cysteamine for asthma will be the first clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of cysteamine in a moderate-severe asthma patient population. The study is currently enrolling adult’s ages 18-45, and will be investigating how cysteamine works to improve asthma control and prevent exacerbations.

Children's Respiratory and Environmental Workgroup (CREW) Work to Identify Phenotypes of Childhood Asthma: Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD; Jocelyn Biagini Myers, PhD; Liza Bronner Murrison, PhD, MPH

Drs. Khurana Hershey, Biagini, and Liza Bronner Murrison, PhD, MPH, are working with the Children’s Respiratory and Environmental Workgroup (CREW) as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Consortium to identify phenotypes of childhood asthma across 12 US birth cohorts. Dr. Khurana Hershey received an NIH UH3 grant as a site sub-contract with ECHO/CREW to recruit a cohort of 400 children at risk for developing asthma. Researchers will follow these children over a period of five years to identify targets for future efforts aimed at preventing childhood asthma.

Division Director Awarded Prestigious Daniel Drake Medal: Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD

Dr. Khurana Hershey achieved a career milestone when presented with the Daniel Drake Medal-the highest honor awarded by the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. The medal is given to living alumni and faculty for outstanding achievements in biomedical science as evidenced by major significant contributions to medical research or for a distinguished career as a clinician-teacher. Dr. Khurana Hershey fits both criteria as an internationally recognized expert in pediatric asthma, allergy and immunology, and environmental health.

Mechanisms of Progression of Atopic Dermatitis to Asthma in Children (MPAACH): Jocelyn Biagini, PhD; Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD

Drs. Biagini and Khurana Hershey established a new cohort of toddlers with atopic dermatitis, MPAACH. This cohort is part of their National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases funded Asthma and Allergic Diseases Center U19 grant. Thus far, the cohort's recruited over 550 infants and toddlers. MPAACH is the first US-based early life cohort of children with atopic dermatitis. The goals of the cohort are to carefully define atopic dermatitis phenotypes and endotypes, dissect the mechanisms that contribute to the progression of atopic dermatitis to other allergic disorders (food allergy, allergic rhinitis, asthma), and to identify novel biomarkers that identify children at high risk for the development of asthma and wheezing. The design of MPAACH is to delineate immunologic, skin, biome, physiologic, genetic, genomic, epigenetic, and environmental factors that promote the development of allergic comorbidities in children with atopic dermatits.