New Way to Eliminate Source of Asthma?
Technique targets cells that trigger immune system reaction, researchers say
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MONDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. researchers say they've found a way to eliminate the source of immune system molecules that cause asthma and other allergic diseases.
These soluble IgE moleclues are produced by immune cells called B cells. While targeting IgE in the blood is an effective treatment for moderate-to-severe allergic asthma, this approach doesn't stop IgE production and patients require repeated treatments, explained the researchers at Genentech Inc. in California.
They say they've developed a way to eliminate IgE-producing B cells, a finding that could lead to new long-lasting treatments for asthma and other allergic diseases.
When tested in mice, this method proved highly effective.
Genentech has a financial stake in the research.
The study appears online May 10 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
More information
The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about asthma.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Investigation, news release, May 10, 2010
Copyright © 2010 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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