Scientists Find Protein Involved In Asthma Attacks

A protein that shuts down immune cells in the lungs could be key to a new treatment for asthma attacks, a new report says, Dennis Thompson reported for HealthDay News.


An experimental drug called Yoda1 that switches on Piezo1 reduced the activity of these immune cells in mice, alleviating asthma symptoms.

The naturally occurring protein, called Piezo1, prevents a type of immune cell called type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) from becoming hyperactivated by allergens.

An experimental drug called Yoda1 that switches on Piezo1 reduced the activity of these immune cells in mice, alleviating asthma symptoms, researchers report. The new study appears in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.


"Given the importance of ILC2s in allergic asthma, there is an urgent need to develop novel mechanism-based approaches to target these critical drivers of inflammation in the lungs," researcher Omid Akbari, a professor at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, said, the United Press International (UPI) also reported.
 

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