Current understanding and therapy of asthma workshop summary.

The prevalence of asthma has increased globally in the past 2 decades. To address this critical issue, a workshop on "Current Understanding and Therapy of Asthma" was recently held in Beijing, as a part of the 10th International Conference of the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America (SCBA). Several pertinent topics were addressed by leading experts from China, Taiwan, Japan and the US, which include epidemiology, the molecular genetic mechanism, pathogenesis, treatment and prevention of asthma. This article highlights the issues presented and discussed in this ground-breaking symposium emphasizing this important public health problem in the Chinese population.