The rhinovirus, otherwise known as the cold virus, is considered as the causative agent of asthma. Nearly 80% of all asthma attacks are caused by this cold virus, of which children are mostly affected. This viral asthma leads to chronic lung disease which in turn could be life-threatening.  

A research team from MedUni Vienna has developed a chip in order to identify the specific cold virus strain via a blood test during an asthma attack. This novel discovery paves the way for the development of new vaccines for protection against these viruses. The chip development was based upon the scientific work undertaken by Rudolf Valenta from MedUni Vienna's Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology. This study reveals that the N-terminal peptide of the viral coat protein VP1 acts as marker agent for the detection of rhinovirus strains.

The lead author of this work, Katarzyna Niespodziana said, "At last we now know exactly which strains of rhinovirus cause such attacks; Our work will focus on a vaccine which should protect against these asthma-triggering strains of virus.”

The identified rhinovirus strains are considered as the main target of a cold vaccine which is currently under development.