British researchers are hoping that drugs can be found to protect asthma sufferers from the effects of the common cold.
A study in London has identified a chemical thought to be responsible for the severe attacks of asthma that can be triggered by the common cold virus, the rhinovirus.
The research, reported in Science Translational Medicine, names IL-25 as the culprit.
The findings come from a study on laboratory mice conducted at Imperial College, London, and King’s College, London.
Researcher Professor Sebastian Johnston said: "Existing medication containing inhaled steroids, are highly effective at controlling regular asthma symptoms, but during an attack the symptoms worsen and can lead to the patient going to hospital.
"This new study provides exciting results about potential ways to address this big unmet medical need."
He added: "The next steps are to test blocking IL-25 in humans, and to investigate other possible pathways that could be important in asthma attacks and pool this knowledge to develop effective treatments."
Dr Samantha Walker, of Asthma UK, welcomed the findings.
She said: "Excitingly, this research, although still at an early stage, could potentially lead to the development of new medicines to prevent life threatening asthma attacks.
"Years of research under-funding means that asthma still remains a relative mystery and the millions of people with asthma need more studies like this to bring us one step closer to new treatments."
Beale et al. Rhinovirus induced IL-25 in asthma exacerbation drives type-2 immunity and allergic pulmonary inflammation. Science Translational Medicine 6 October 2014; doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.3009124
Leave a Reply