New allergy drug hope

Tuesday February 3rd, 2009

British and Irish researchers are hoping to see the development of a new kind of allergy drug following a scientific discovery.

The researchers say they have identified the role of chemical within the body in causing allergic reactions.

Experts say the role of the chemical, known as eotaxin, is "unexpected".

The discovery has been made by scientists at the Queen's University of Belfast, and Oxford University in the UK and at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.

The findings have been reported in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.

Journal deputy editor John Wherry said: "For some people, allergies are very serious often debilitating problem, forcing them to be extremely careful about what they breathe, touch, or eat.

"The insights from this work on the unexpected role of eotaxin should provide novel therapeutic opportunities for intervention during diseases like asthma, food allergies and other situations where unchecked allergic responses cause problems."

Researcher Nigel Stevenson said: "Our study reveals a new role for the chemokine eotaxin in controlling immune cell types at the site of allergic reaction.

"These findings are crucial for our understanding of allergic responses and may be instrumental for the design of new allergy drugs."

According to the scientists, eotaxin's normal role is to help immune cells locate an infection. However in allergic reactions, eotaxin interferes with the way basic immune cells neutralise themselves, leading to immune reactions being aggravated.

Tags: Allergies & Asthma | UK News

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