Paula J. Busse

Research

Dr. Busse is researching the regulation of mucus-producing genes in asthmatic airways. She is also studying the development and airway inflammation of asthma in the elderly. In addition, she is the principal investigator for a clinical trial for the treatment of a rare disease, hereditary angioedema.

Asthma is an inflammatory airways disease which is often characterized by reversible obstruction. In certain patients, however, this inflammation may lead to irreversible obstruction, secondary to structural changes. These airway changes include mucus cell hyperplasia/hypertrophy, increased thickness of the airway basement membrane by deposition of collagen and other extracellular proteins, increased vascularity, altered neuronal responses and hypertrophy of the airway smooth muscle. Current evidence suggests that these changes may not be prevented with anti-inflammatory treatment such as corticosteroids, but this is controversial. TNF-alpha is an important cytokine in asthma which has both proinflammatory and profibrotic properties and its role in promoting structural changes in the airway has been noted in animal models of asthma and in humans. Importantly, approaches to block the effects of TNF-alpha have proven to be quite effective in a number of other chronic inflammatory diseases. Given this background, it is Dr. Busse's hypothesis that TNF-alpha is an important cytokine in asthma in the regulation of mucus-cell hyperplasia. Furthermore, modulation of TNF-alpha, using an anti- TNF-alpha antibody may be an appropriate adjunctive therapy in asthma, preventing or attenuating mucus-cell hyperplasia/hypertrophy (metaplasia in the murine system) and avoiding the consequences of long-term corticosteroid use. The overall goal of her work in this area is to evaluate the effects of TNF-alpha on an important aspect of airway pathology in asthma, mucus-cell hyperplasia/hypertrophy.

Selected Publications

Zuraw BL, Busse PJ, White M, et al. Safety and Efficacy of Nanofiltered C1 Inhibitor Concentrate For Acute And Prophylactic Treatment Of Hereditary Angioedema Due to C1 Inhibitor Deficiency. NEJM 2010: 24(7): 1047-55

Paula J. Busse, Kiran Kilaru, Teng Fei Zhang, Brian Schofield, Sangita Patil, Xiu-Min Li. Treatment with Traditional Chinese Herbal Formula, ASHMI, suppresses features of allergic asthma in antigen sensitized and challenged aged mice. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2010; 104 (3): 236-246.
 
Agarwal S, Busse PJ. Brief Review: Innate and adaptive immunosenescence. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2010; 104 (3): 183-90.
 
Zhang TF, Srivastava K, Wen MC, Yang N, Cao J, Busse PJ, Birmingham N, Li XM. Pharmacology and immunological actions of an herbal medicine, ASHMITM for allergic asthma. Phytotherapy Research 2010: 363 (6): 513-522.
 
Paula J. Busse, Kiran Kilaru, Teng FeiZhang, Brian Schofield, Sangita Patil, Xiu-Min Li. Treatment with anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha decreases airway mucus gene expression in a murine model of allergic asthma. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2009; 103 (4): 295-303.
 
Kelly-Pieper K, Patil SP, Busse PJ, Yang N, Sampson H, Wisnivesky J, Li X-M, Kattan H. Safety and tolerability of an antiasthma herbal formula (ASHMITM) in adult asthmatics: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, dose escalation phase I study. J of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2009; 15: 735-43.
 
Busse PJ, Kilaru K. Complexities of Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergic Respiratory Disease in the Elderly. Drugs Aging 2009; 26 (1): 1-22.
 
Busse PJ, Zhang, TF, Srivastava K, Schofield B, Li XM. Effect of ageing on pulmonary inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness and T and B cell responses in antigen sensitized and challenged mice. Clin Exp Allergy 2007; 37: 1392-1403.
 
Berns SH, Halm EA, Sampson HA, Sicherer SH, Busse PJ, Wisnivesky JP. Food allergy as a risk factor for asthma morbidity in adults. J Asthma 2007; 44: 377-81.
 
Busse PJ, Farazan S, Cunningham-Rundles C. Pulmonary Complications of Common Variable Immunodeficiency. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2007; 98: 1-8.
 
Busse PJ. Allergic respiratory disease in the elderly. Am J Med 2007; 120: 498-502.
 
Busse PJ, Zhang TF, Srivastava K, Sealfon S, Lin B, Li XM. Chronic administration of tumor necrosis factor alpha increases airway mucus gene expression in vivo. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2005; 116: 1265-63.
 
Busse PJ, Wang J, Halm EA. Underuse of Allergen Sensitization Evaluation and Trigger Avoidance Education among Inner-city Adults with Persistent Asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2005; 116: 146-152.