Despite its common occurrence, still little is known about pathomechanisms determining different wheeze and asthma trajectories and phenotypes in children, and those beginning in adulthood. Therefore, deciphering underlying determinants for different childhood and adult asthma phenotypes is urgently needed to develop personalized treatment approaches targeting distinct underlying mechanisms. Thereby, secondary prevention early in the disease process can also be achieved. The decoding of such mechanisms and their translation to the individual patient is the aim of the Disease Area Asthma Allergy of the 'German Centre for Lung Research' (DZL).