In vitro and ex vivo models of human asthma

In asthma, the airways undergo many structural and functional changes caused by environmental factors and genetic predisposition including a damaged epithelium, mucus hyper-secretion, thickening of the basement membrane, fibroblast and smooth muscle layer, angiogenesis and increased inflammation. To understand the underlying disease mechanisms, there is a need for a range of in vitro models that incorporate genetic and epigenetic features of the disease through use of asthma-derived cells.