About the Authors

Annemarie Sykes

annemarie.sykes@imperial.ac.uk

Affiliations National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, London, United Kingdom, Centre for Respiratory Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom

Michael R. Edwards

Affiliations National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, London, United Kingdom, Centre for Respiratory Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom

Jonathan Macintyre

Affiliations National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, London, United Kingdom, Centre for Respiratory Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom

Ajerico del Rosario

Affiliations National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, London, United Kingdom, Centre for Respiratory Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom

Vera Gielen

Affiliations National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, London, United Kingdom, Centre for Respiratory Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom

Jennifer Haas

Affiliations National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, London, United Kingdom, Centre for Respiratory Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom

Onn Min Kon

Affiliation Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom

Mark McHale

Affiliation Respiratory and Inflammation Research Area, AstraZeneca R&D Charnwood, Loughborough, United Kingdom

Sebastian L. Johnston

Affiliations National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, London, United Kingdom, Centre for Respiratory Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom

Competing Interests

Author MMH is an employee of AstraZeneca, whose company provided funding towards this study. He has also acted as a consult with Guide Point Global Advisors in non-TLR related subjects. As a Founder of ASLAN Pharmaceuticals Singapore, MMH is a major stock holder. Author SLJ is an author on patents relating to use of IFNs in treatment of exacerbations of airway disease and holds share options in Synairgen, a company developing IFNs for treatment of exacerbations of airway disease. Patent names: Wark PA, Johnston SL, Holgate ST, Davies DE. Anti-virus therapy for respiratory diseases. UK patent application No. GB 0405634.7, 12 March 2004; Wark PA, Johnston SL, Holgate ST, Davies DE. Interferon-Beta for Anti-Virus Therapy for Respiratory Diseases. International Patent Application No. PCT/GB05/50031, 12 March 2004; Wark PA, Johnston SL, Holgate ST, Davies DE. The use of Interferon Lambda for the treatment and prevention of virally-induced exacerbation in asthma and chronic pulmonary obstructive disease. UK patent application No. 0518425.4, 9 September 2005; Wark PA, Johnston SL, Holgate ST, Davies DE. Anti-Virus Therapy for Respiratory Diseases. US Patent Application –11/517,763, Patent No.7569216, National Phase of PCT/GB2005/050031, 04 August 2009; Wark PA, Johnston SL, Holgate ST, Davies DE. Interferon-beta for Anti-Virus Therapy for Respiratory Diseases. European Patent Number 1734987, 5 May 2010; Wark PA, Johnston SL, Holgate ST, Davies DE. Anti-Virus Therapy for Respiratory Diseases (IFNb therapy) Hong Kong Patent Number 1097181, 31 August 2010; Wark PA, Johnston SL, Holgate ST, Davies DE. Anti-Virus Therapy for Respiratory Diseases (IFNb therapy). Japanese Patent Number 4807526, 26 August 2011; & Wark PA, Johnston SL, Holgate ST, Davies DE. Interferon-beta for Anti-Virus Therapy for Respiratory Diseases. New Hong Kong - Divisional Patent Application No.11100187.0, 10 January 2011. There are no further patents, products in development or marketed products to declare. This does not alter the authors’ adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: SLJ AS MRE MM. Performed the experiments: AS MRE JM VG JH. Analyzed the data: AS MRE SLJ MM. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: OMK MM. Wrote the paper: AS SLJ. Subject recruitment and clinical data collections: AS AdR JM.