Researchers Block Asthma Symptoms Caused by Aspergillus

Submitted by Aspergillus Administrator on 1 August 2013

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase CaMKII

A new report shows that a particular enzyme that is present in our lungs is responsible for many of the symtpms of severe asthma. CaMKII is hyperactive in the lungs of people suffering from severe asthma, but not in the lungs of people who are not asthmatic. This alone makes it useful as an indicator of the severity of the disease a patients is suffering from and can be used to follow the progression of the asthma.

Researchers already know that Aspergillus fumigatus allergens are strong inducers of asthma-like symptoms in mouse models of the disease (and in human sufferers) so they constructed molecules that blocked the activity of CaMKII and tested whether or not these molecules could stop the asthmatic symptoms in mice. The result was that blocking the activity of CaMKII also prevented any asthma symptoms from occurring – a completely new finding in the field of asthma research.

This result does not necessarily mean that the same benefit to athma sufferers will happen when CaMKII is blocked in human trials but testing this is the next step and the chances of success are quite good. If it works then we will immediately  have a new drug with which to attack asthma caused by the inhalation of allergens such as Aspergillus, but even if this is not immediately successful this research paves the way for the development of new drugs and treatment strategies in the future
This is great news for asthmatics who are sensitive to moulds and other allergens, and may save many lives in the future.

A new drug target for asthma treatment