The old expression says that ‘two heads are better than one’. But when it comes to finding a treatment for asthma it seems that two companies are better than one. Newcastle Innovation Ltd has teamed up with leading drug developer Proteologics Ltd to translate a recent discovery of the molecular signals generated in the early stages of respiratory diseases into a number of very promising therapies.
This is very good news as it means that the introduction of new treatments for asthma and other respiratory diseases is a step closer. The signing of this exclusive license agreement will allow the companies to develop and commercialise new classes of drugs.
Through a comprehensive analysis of gene expression, a team of researchers at University of Newcastle managed to identify a protein called Midline-1 as a new target can regulate airway inflammation and stimulate virus- and allergy-induced asthma by inhibiting the activity of a protein.
The clear potential advantage of the development of using Midline-1 is that it would not be steroid-based, that means it can overcome the increasing resistance to current steroid treatments and other anti-inflammatory ways to fight asthma.
Asthma is a highly debilitating condition that has caused problems for a huge number of people worldwide. You might think of it as a disease that only affects children, but the truth is that the number of adult-onset asthma cases has been rising for a variety of reasons. This new drug offers the possibility of battling against the disease without having to use steroids which have a list of their own problems, as well as the fact that they are becoming less effective.
It’s hoped by the researchers that the new treatment will be available soon and can start making asthma less of a burden for the millions of people who suffer with it.
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