Asthma Symptoms - New Study Identifies Protein Responsible For Symptoms

Scientists conducting research into severe cases of asthma, which are growing in prevalence but currently have no really effective cure or method of treatment, recently announced they had successfully identified a protein that has been linked to severe asthma-like conditions. The protein, known as interleukin-17 or abbreviated to IL-17A, is a pro-inflammatory protein and has been identified as a causative factor for severe asthma-like symptoms.

The recent increase in prevalence of asthma – in both its milder and more severe forms – has been attributed to environmental contaminants such as allergens, cigarette smoke and airborne pollution. The increase in its prevalence has also increased the focus on the condition, as well as the amount of research being conducted in order to identify causative factors and more details about the condition, in order to help formulate strategies that may be able to tackle the condition.

This particular finding was reported following a study conducted at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Parker B. Francis Fellowship Program.  Dr. Marsha Wills-Karp, Ph.D., Director of the Division of Immunobiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, commented on the findings: “This study suggests that at some point it may be possible to treat or prevent severe forms of asthma by inhibiting pathways that drive the production of IL-17A.”