Well, good news for Asthma patients, because
scientists have claimed to found the root cause of asthma, a breakthrough which
could pave the way for a new treatment within 5 years. As you know, millions of
asthma sufferers are able to regulate their symptoms with inhalers, but a
minority about 5% of patients does not respond to any treatment. At the moment
scientists have found a protein within the airways which they have faith in
triggers all asthma attacks. Unusually, a drug already exists which they think
could deactivate the protein, raising hopefulness for a treatment which may be
effective for any asthma patient.
The team, which is led by Cardiff University,
has already revealed that the drug works in mice and in human tissue samples in
the laboratory. They’ve now designed the first clinical trials, which could
start in coming two years. Professor Daniela Riccardi said (Lead Investigator):
“Our findings are extremely electrifying.” Though, the discovery came quite by
chance when Professor Riccardi, “formerly a bones specialist”, switched from
the study of osteoporosis to the study of the lungs 5 years ago. She realized
that a protein that triggers the progress of calcium within bones also plays a
role in the airways. Moreover, tests revealed that asthmatics had far higher
levels of the protein and it is called calcium sensing receptor or CaSR than
healthy people. Therefore, when an asthmatic breathes in triggers due to dust,
smoke, or pollen, the CaSR molecules cause the speedy increase of calcium
within the cells of the lung tissue.
The additional calcium makes the cells
contract, making the airways spasm, triggering an asthma attack. Thus, for the
first time we’ve found a link between airways inflammation, which can be caused
by environmental triggers - such as allergens, cigarette smoke and car fumes –
and airways twitchiness in allergic asthma. It makes the cells much more
sensitive to the asthma triggers and which then make an attack much more
likely. Because, the drug already exists that can disable the CaSR protein,
meaning it could be obtainable to patients as soon as clinical trials are
complete. The medication called a “calcilytic” was developed some where fifteen
years ago to knock out the same protein in osteoporosis.
Though the drug was believed to be safe, and
it was not effective for osteoporosis patients. However, initials tests in mice
and human tissue showed encouraging results as an asthma treatment.
Nevertheless, the team, which included scientists from King’s College London
and the Mayo Clinic in the United States, believe to use the drug in a
nebuliser, in which it is turned into a mist and breathed straight into the
lungs. A few courses of treatment would
be adequate to stop asthma attacks from recurring, they believed. The doubtful
it might also have a role in tackling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease “COPD”
and chronic bronchitis, for which there is presently no effective treatment.
Furthermore, Prof Riccardi said: ‘If we can prove that “calcilytics” are safe
when administered directly to the lung in people, then in 5 years we could be
in a very good position to treat patients and potentially stop asthma from
happening in the first place. Dr Samantha Walker, director of research at
Asthma United Kingdom, who supported in fund the research, added: This is
without an enormously exciting discovery, which will enables us, for the first
time, to tackle the underlying causes of asthma symptoms. Only 5% people with
asthma don’t respond to existing treatments so research breakthroughs could be
life changing for hundreds of thousands of people.
Moreover, if this research
proves effective we may be just a few years away from a new treatment for
asthma, and we instantly need further investment to take it further through
clinical trials. Asthma research is chronically underfunded; there’ve only been
a handful of new treatments progressed in the last 50 years so the significance
of investment in research like this is absolutely indispensable.’ Source: Dailymail
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