Novel Molecule may Prevent Allergen-Induced Asthma

Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces (Germany), the Free University of Berlin (Germany), UC San Diego, and Shinshu University (Japan) have identified a novel molecule that could prevent T-cells from worsening asthma that's brought on by allergens. As this chronic disease affects more than 25 million Americans, researchers hope that this could provide a potentially new treatment for the health issue.

"We have identified a synthetic molecule, a sulfate monosaccharide, that inhibits the signal that recruits T-cells to the lungs to start an asthma attack," said Minoru Fukuda, Ph.D., adjunct professor in the Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program at Sanford-Burnham, via a press release. "The molecule substantially lessened asthma symptoms such as inflammation, mucus production, and airway constriction."

For the study, researchers used mice models to test how synthetic sulfate monosaccharide blocks the infection between chemokine CCL20-a T-cell signaling protein-and heparin sulfate, a molecule that protects CCL20 on epithelial cells found in the lung.

Furthermore, when the novel molecule was intravenously administered, it blocked interaction of the recruitment of T-cells that trigger inflammation.

"There is currently no cure for asthma, and asthma control remains elusive for many patients, so there is still a need for research to find new therapies," said Mike Tringale, senior vice president at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), a national asthma patient organization that has declared May National Asthma Awareness Month, via the release.

"Pulmonary inhalation of this new molecule may help reduce asthma symptoms by suppressing chemokine-mediated inflammatory responses," said Fukuda. We look forward to the further development of the molecule to treat the millions of people who suffer from this chronic disease."

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.