Severe Asthma Research Program

SARP

SARP is the world’s most comprehensive study of adults and children with severe asthma, linking 4 leading university centers through a National Institutes of Health-sponsored network. To date, over 1500 asthma patients and healthy individuals have participated. The network’s mission is to improve the understanding of the causes of severe asthma to lead to improved treatments.

Severe Asthma

Severe Asthma is a debilitating form of asthma which afflicts up to 15% of asthma sufferers. It can develop in childhood, often in association with allergies, or come on later in life in relation to respiratory infections, hormonal changes or environmental exposures. Unlike "usual" asthma, severe asthma often does not respond well to currently available medications. Thus, the lives of patients with severe asthma is often dramatically impacted by the burden of their disease.

The Mission of the Severe Asthma Research Program

The Mission of the Severe Asthma Research Program is to improve the understanding of severe asthma such that better treatment approaches can be developed. SARP is not a clinical trial of new or old drugs. Rather, its purpose is to gather an extraordinary amount of information ranging from responses to simple questions, to lung function, allergy and blood testing, as well as genetic and lung inflammation testing. This information, gathered over a series of 4-6 visits, is databased along with information from thousands of others. The data are analyzed to improve our understanding of this disease and focus the development of new drugs targeted specifically to severe asthma. Your participation in SARP allows your information to be joined with thousands of others to get a much "bigger picture" of the causes and processes of severe asthma.

For Asthma Patients

The Severe Asthma Research Program was established with the mission to improve the understanding of severe asthma such that better treatment approaches can be developed. SARP is not a clinical trial of new or old drugs. Rather, its purpose is to gather an extraordinary amount of information ranging from responses to simple questions, to lung function, allergy and blood testing, as well as genetic and lung inflammation testing. This information, gathered over a series of 4-6 visits, is databased along with information from thousands of others. The data are analyzed to improve our understanding of this disease and focus the development of new drugs targeted specifically to severe asthma. Your participation in SARP allows your information to be joined with thousands of others to get a much "bigger picture" of the causes and processes of severe asthma.

Interested in Participating in SARP?

You will likely qualify for participation in SARP as a severe asthmatic if you:

1. Have been diagnosed with asthma by a physician

2. Require high or continuous doses of asthma medications, such as Advair, Symbicort, prednisone or medrol

3. Still have asthma symptoms on a regular basis

4. Have had frequent or severe exacerbations of asthma (requiring prednisone, ER visits, hospitalizations)

5. Are not currently smoking and have smoked less than 5-10 years total

6. Are between the ages of 6 yrs and 75 yrs of age

You may also qualify for participation in SARP as a “comparative” patient with mild asthma. Similarly, you must be diagnosed with asthma, be between 6 and 75 yrs of age and not be currently smoking or have smoked for more than 5-10 yrs. To find out more about participating in SARP, use this link: http://severeasthma.org/See_Study_Sites.html

Medical and Academic Professionals

SARP is the world’s most comprehensive study of adults and children with severe asthma, linking 4 leading university centers through a National Institutes of Health/NHLBI -sponsored network. To date, over 1500 asthma patients and healthy individuals have participated and are now included in an exhaustive asthma database which includes clinical, physiologic, immunologic, pathologic and genetic information. Using these data, in conjunction with the individual site’s specific interests (see below), the network’s mission is to improve the understanding of the causes of severe asthma to lead to improved treatments.

References

• Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP) -- A National Institutes of Health/ National Heart, Lung & Blood Institutes sponsored network

http://severeasthma.org/

Additional Publications: http://severeasthma.org/SARP_PUBLICATIONS.html