Treatment With Omalizumab to Improve the Asthmatic Response to Rhinovirus Experimental Infection With Rhinovirus

Inclusion Criteria

• Subjects must be able to understand and provide written informed consent
• Age 18 to 40 years of age, any gender, any racial/ethnic origin
• Physician-diagnosed asthma
• Asthma Control Test (ACT) score > 19
• Short-acting beta-agonist use 70%, or FEV1/FVC ratio > 75% for subjects with forced vital capacity (FVC) values between 80 and 87% predicted whose FEV1 values fall below 70%.
• Positive Methacholine challenge test (i.e. at least 20% fall in FEV1 at a Methacholine concentration of ≤16 mg/ml) at screening protocol before enrollment.
• Total serum IgE level greater than or equal to 125 IU/ml evaluated during screening protocol.
• Positive test for allergic sensitization by prick skin testing documented during screening protocol. to allergens associated with current allergen exposure at the time of the rhinovirus (RV) challenge: e.g., dust mite, Alternaria, and/or ragweed for subjects challenged with RV in the fall, or positive tests to tree and/or grass pollen allergens for those challenged with RV in the spring. In keeping with the study design goals of inoculating subjects during periods of allergen exposure, sensitization to other allergens (e.g., cat or dog) will also qualify for enrollment if subjects are currently exposed to these allergens at home.

Participant must be willing to comply with study procedures and requirements.

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Exclusion Criteria

• Inability or unwillingness of a participant or subject's legal representative to give written informed consent and HIPPA authorization
• Positive test for serum neutralizing antibody to rhinovirus (strain-16) at screening within 6 weeks (i.e., subjects with a neutralizing antibody titer > 1:4 will be excluded).
• To avoid RV-16 inoculations in subjects with more restrictive lung volumes, those whose FVC is 4 days during the week before enrollment, or during the week before the virus challenge.
• Intubation or management in the intensive care unit for an asthma exacerbation
• An upper or lower respiratory tract infection within six weeks prior to enrollment
• Previous nasal or sinus surgery within the last 12 months.
• Who have a 5 pack/year history of smoking, or any smoking within the last 6 months.
• Female subjects who are, or who plan to become, pregnant during the study, or who are nursing a baby. Additionally, to be included in this study, a woman of child-bearing potential must have a negative urine pregnancy test at screening, during the run, and prior to viral inoculation and agree to use an effective method of birth control such as, but not limited to, birth control pills, contraceptive foam, diaphragm, intra uterine device (IUD), abstinence, or condoms.
• Subjects who have used omalizumab within 12 months prior to enrollment, or inhaled corticosteroids,inhaled ipratropium bromide, an inhaled long acting beta agonist, inhaled cromolyn or nedocromil or systemic leukotriene modifiers for their asthma on a daily basis within 4 weeks prior to enrollment or subjects using nasal corticosteroids on a daily basis within 4 weeks prior to enrollment. Subjects who are currently receiving beta-adrenergic blocking agents.
• Subjects who are currently receiving allergen immunotherapy (IT), or who have received allergen IT within the last 3 years.
• Hemoglobin <11.5 g/dL for non-African American subjects or hemoglobin < 11.0 g/dL for African American subjects detected during screening within 6 weeks of enrollment.
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) < 1800 cells/mm3 (or 1.8 K/uL) detected during screening within 6 weeks of enrollment or prior to virus inoculation.