Tampa, Fla (October 30, 2017) – Pregnant women who consume fish rather than fish oil supplements are just as likely to protect their offspring from developing asthma.

Researchers at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla, just published a scientific review of two studies that conclude children whose mothers consume high-dose omega-3 fatty acids daily during the third trimester are less likely to develop such breathing problems.

However, co-authors Richard Lockey, MD, and Chen Hsing Lin, MD suggest pregnant women receive the same benefit following the Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency’s recommendation to consume 8-12 ounces (2-3 servings) of low mercury fish a week.

The review published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice examined two articles. The New England Journal of Medicine study included 346 pregnant women in their 3^d trimester who took omega-3 fatty acids daily and 349 who took a placebo. The investigators also divided the trial population into three groups based on their blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids. The population with the lowest blood levels benefited the most from fish oil supplementation.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology randomized pregnant women in their 3^rd trimester into fish oil, placebo and “no oil” groups. The fish oil group took omega-3 fatty acids daily as did the placebo (olive oil) group. The “no oil” group was informed of the trial proposal and therefore could consume fish oil or fish during the 3^rd trimester if they chose to do so. Researchers found the fish oil and the “no oil” groups took less asthma medication as they aged to 24 years old, inferring both groups developed less asthma.

“Omega-3 fatty acids cannot be synthesized by humans and therefore are essential nutrients which are derived exclusively from marine sources,” said Lin. “It may be premature to recommend daily high dose fish oil supplementation during the 3^rd trimester.”

“With almost equal to slightly higher cost, consuming 8-12 ounces (2-3 servings) of fish a week not only may attain the same asthma protection, but strengthens the nutritional benefits to infant growth and development,” said Lockey.

USF Health professor Dr. Richard Lockey helping develop rare blood disorder drug

Asphyxiation is a frightening experience, not just for the sufferer, but also for those who’ve witnessed someone’s inability to breathe.

University of South Florida professor Dr. Richard Lockey is working to prevent some people from ever facing that life-threatening attack.

He’s involved in a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine testing a first-of-its kind medication for those with hereditary angioedema and a C1 inhibitor deficiency. The rare blood disorder causes spontaneous swelling in various parts of the body, which could be deadly if it occurs in areas such as the tongue or larynx.

Richard Lockey, MD

Lanadelumab is a monoclonal antibody administered by injection every two weeks, helping patients avoid asphyxiation and costly trips to the emergency room, allowing them to live a full life. Previously, up to 20 percent died before the age of 20. Existing long-term preventive treatments can cause serious side effects for a significant percentage of patients.

Thirty-seven patients from across the country participated in the multisite, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (Phase 1).  Dr. Lockey says in this early study lanadelumab was almost 100 percent effective, with minimal side effects. The drug works by inhibiting the enzyme kallikrein, blocking a cascade of molecular processes leading to angioedema.

“If this disease is in your family and you inherit the gene, we can give you this monoclonal antibody every two weeks to prevent attacks (of spontaneous swelling) from occurring,” said Dr. Lockey, director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine.  “It can enable people to live a normal life.”

Once the study is complete, researchers hope to win FDA approval, stocking pharmacy shelves in the next couple years.

About 10,000 people are diagnosed with hereditary angioedema.

– Story by Tina Meketa, USF Communications

Tampa, FL (June 8, 2016) — The American Lung Association’s Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) network has expanded the national reach of its clinical trials to enhance the quality of life for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The University of South Florida (USF) — a continuous member of the Lung Association ACRC since its inception in 1999 — is among 17 centers across the country and one of only two centers in Florida.

The non-profit national network studies patients with airways diseases, specifically asthma and COPD, the latter of which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Asthma affects a high rate of Florida’s population, 8 percent of adults and 10 percent of children, and nearly 8 percent of Floridians have COPD, said Thomas Casale, MD, who assumes the role of principal investigator for USF’s Lung Association ACRC on July 1.

“Finding how best to treat these patients is a primary goal of the American Lung Association’s ACRC,” said Dr. Casale, professor of medicine and pediatrics in the Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

                              Dr. Thomas Casale, left, and Dr. Richard Lockey

“Participation in this network gives our patients the opportunity to enroll in clinical studies designed to study these disorders and define optimal care for patients with asthma or COPD.  They can also expect to learn a lot about their disease and how best to manage their symptoms.”

Many studies published by investigators in the highly competitive Airways Clinical Research Centers network have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine or the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Richard Lockey, MD, director of the USF Health Division of Allergy and Immunology, has been USF’s ACRC principal investigator since the group began and will continue to collaborate on studies. Under his leadership, USF has participated in a variety of ACRC network clinical trials in which outcomes are helping shape the nature of care, including the:

• Anxiety and COPD Evaluation (ACE Trial) examining the relationship between anxiety, health status and prognosis to inform appropriate treatment strategies. Open at USF through June 30, 2016.
• Resistant Airway Obstruction in Children (REACH) study, investigating whether or not anti-inflammatory medications normally prescribed for children with asthma can help in the management of children with fixed airflow obstruction. Open at USF through June 30, 2017.
• Long-acting Beta Agonist Step-Down Study (LASST), investigating the best way to reduce treatment in well-controlled asthmatic patients.

• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) on Reducing Airway Reactivity in Asthmatics, a trial evaluating whether CPAP, an effective treatment for sleep apnea, can improve asthma control.

“Breathing is essential to life, and it’s vital for those suffering from lung disease to have access to the best treatment options available, and we get there through research,” said Harold P. Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association.

“The Airways Clinical Research Centers Network attracts some of the best investigators nationwide, and by adding significantly to the expertise of the ACRC network, we will advance research to improve the quality of life for those living with both COPD and asthma.”

For more information on the American Lung Association’s ACRC, visit http://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/research/airways-clinical-research-centers/

About USF Health
USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, and the USF Physicians Group. The University of South Florida is a Top 50 research university in total research expenditures among both public and private institutions nationwide, according to the National Science Foundation. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

About the American Lung Association
The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease, through research, education and advocacy. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to improve the air we breathe; to reduce the burden of lung disease on individuals and their families; and to eliminate tobacco use and tobacco-related diseases. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586- 4872) or visit: Lung.org.

Media contact:
Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications
abaier@health.usf.edu or (813) 974-3303

Allergy sufferers are breathing a sigh of relief with the news that FDA-approved medications taken via a pill or drops under the tongue over the course of weeks – as opposed to a series of injections that might last years – are starting to hit the market.

The sublingual medication is as effective in some patients as injections, a standard course of treatment that has changed little in the past 100 years, said Richard F. Lockey MD, FACP, professor and director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and holder of the Joy McCann Culverhouse Chair of Allergy and Immunology.

“Sublingual immunotherapy has been around for a long time but earlier concentrations were ineffective because they were in too small of doses to help patients build immunity,” Dr. Lockey said. “These new standardized pills and drops are now in larger doses and have proven to be as effective in double-blind, controlled studies. These properly balanced studies showed a statistically significant benefit to patients.”

The first pills and drops available this summer target certain grasses and ragweed. Formulas for cat, dust mite and other allergens should be available next, Dr. Lockey said, while those for oak, Bahia and Bermuda grasses, other trees, weeds and molds may take years.

On-going clinical studies play into the pace for when the new sublingual immunotherapies become available. USF Health is a clinical site for the study related to dust mite allergies and continues to seek people allergic to dust mites to participate in the study, Dr. Lockey said. For more information about the dust mite study, call (813) 631-4024.

The number one allergen for Floridians is oak, Dr. Lockey said, so local allergy sufferers will have to wait because it is not yet a standardized allergen and not available for sublingual immunotherapy.

Patients who might benefit from the new medications are those who are allergic to only one or two things, and only seasonally. Those allergic to multiple things, called polysensitized, would likely see bigger benefits from shots, Dr. Lockey said. That’s because the serum used for injections can include concentrations for multiple allergens, creating a medication that is tailored to match each patient’s allergies. The new sublingual immunotherapies target only single allergens, making them somewhat like “one-hit wonders.”

But it also depends on where the person lives, he said. For example, people allergic to ragweed might be a candidate for the sublingual medications if they live up north, where ragweed blooms only seasonally. If they live in Florida, where ragweed is a year-round bloomer, they would not be prescribed the sublingual option.

The advantages for the new sublingual pills and drops are significant for patients, Dr. Lockey said, with time savings being the greatest. Sublingual immunotherapies are taken for about 12 weeks before the season begins and during the season for a patient’s particular allergen, he said. Injections are typically given one or two times each week for three to five months and monthly thereafter for three to five years or more. In addition, sublingual medications can be self-administered once the patient has taken the first dose at a physician’s office to monitor for adverse reactions. Injections require a visit to the physician’s office.

One of the big hopes, Dr. Lockey said, is that the new easy-to-take medications might entice more people to find relief.

“Some patients cannot pursue shots because of time constraints,” he said. “Sublingual immunotherapies can be given at home.”

For more information about the new sublingual immunotherapies and to make an appointment with a USF Health allergist, call (813) 974-2201.

Photos by Eric Younghans, USF Health Office of Communications