Scientists have discovered more than 30 new genes that predispose people to allergies and asthma, some of which could be targets for new drugs.

The 10-year study, published in the journal Nature, could also help to predict who will respond best to current treatments before starting expensive therapy.

Researchers in the UK, US, Canada and Sweden, led by scientists at Imperial College London, looked at epigenetic changes in genes found in the immune system, which do not affect the genetic code itself but which influence the activity of genes.

The researchers were then able to pinpoint genes that regulate a particular antibody that is involved in triggering allergic responses.

It paves the way for new drugs to target the genes and make them inactive.

William Cookson, from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, said: “Our pioneering approach, using epigenetics, allowed us to obtain insights that we weren’t able to get from traditional genetics.

“It isn’t just the genetic code that can influence disease, and DNA sequencing can only take you so far. Our study shows that modifications on top of the DNA that control how genes are read may be even more important.”

Miriam Moffatt, who led the study with Cookson, said: “The genes we identified represent new potential drug targets for allergic diseases as well as biomarkers that may predict which patients will respond to existing expensive therapies.”