Genes for asthma: much ado about nothing?

The identification of genes that make individuals susceptible to developing asthma is an area of increasing focus by both academic and industrial groups. The complexity of asthma genetics has made the identification of susceptibility genes difficult; however, genome-wide screens followed by positional cloning have started to identify such genes for both asthma and asthma-related traits. In addition, evidence from candidate gene studies indicates that gene-gene interactions also play an important role in conferring genetic risk for asthma development. Although progress in terms of identifying new therapeutic targets has not been dramatic, our understanding of the complexity of the genetic basis of asthma has greatly increased. There can be little doubt that, in the future, this knowledge will lead to fundamental insights into the molecular pathophysiology of asthma and the development of new therapies.