Asthma - The New Frontiers In Research And Therapy

Comes from the United Kingdom, but bears a signature and an Italian name the most recent novelty in the field of bronchial asthma. Causes but above all (in a very few years, hopefully) therapy. The Professor Daniela Riccardi - Professor of Physiology at the Cardiff School of Biosciences at Cardiff University - identified the process that causes the asthma attack and is about to start experimenting to get to a cure, hopefully within five years . We interviewed Professor Riccardi, here's what she told us.

What is the big news about bronchial asthma that emerges from the research of its research team at the University of Cardiff? What is the cause you identified?

It has been known for a long time the presence of triggers / environmental factors (pollution, allergens, pollen, etc.) that cause a state of hypersensitivity of the airways and trigger an asthma attack with narrowing of the lower airways and inflammation. How this happened was so far unknown.

Our work has shown that the presence of these allergens leads to the production of substances that activate a "sensor" in the airways. The activation of this sensor causes hypersensitivity, narrowing (= bronchoconstriction) and inflammation. Furthermore, we have also demonstrated, using different models of asthma in mice and cells of asthmatic patients,

Is this a hypothesis you are working on, or can we now say that finally the 'original' cause of asthma has been definitively identified?

The novelty of this study is that for the first time we have identified a target, a cause of the disease while the current medicines treat the symptoms, not the cause, so far unidentified. At the moment on the market we have drugs that prevent inflammation (corticosteroids) and / or that reduce airway narrowing (bronchodilators).

The fact that the calcilitics that we have used in our studies, when nebulised directly in the airways prevent completely bronchoconstriction, hypersensitivity and inflammation in preclinical models suggests that, if these observations are reproduced in human, we have for the first time a new treatment for asthma.

What does this mean, from the point of view of asthma treatment and treatment? How long will we be able to have a cure based on his research, and how will it work?

The calcilitics are already available and have been discovered for the treatment of osteoporosis. Although these drugs are safe and well tolerated in patients, they have been shelved by the pharmaceutical industry because they do not lead to significant improvement in bone density. At the moment our efforts are focused on repositioning the calcilitics, administered by inhalation, for the treatment of asthma. Once the loans are secured, our studies include:

Testing the effects of calcilitics (inhaled) in difficult-to-treat asthma situations, specifically asthma resistant to treatment with steroids and asthma that is exacerbated by influenza virus
Toxicology tests to exclude that the calcilitics are not toxic when inhaled
Clinical studies in asthmatic patients.

If preclinical data will be reflected in patients, we may be in a position to have a new treatment within five years.

Is it a cure that solves the problem definitively, or does a person suffering from asthma still have to keep turning with the spray in his pocket?

This depends on how much a person is exposed to these allergens. The calcilitics reduce the hypersensitivity of the airways and therefore significantly reduce the risk of an asthma attack, possibly fatal.

What is it like to give a news like this to the scientific world, but above all to that important part of the population that suffers from asthma, often in serious form, and that perhaps at this point did not expect more news in the cure of the disease?

There are 300 million people in the world who suffer from asthma. These studies started five years ago a little by accident because up until then I was not dealing with this disease, but I have been working for more than twenty years on the role of calcium sensor in mineral metabolism. In addition to the importance of scientific discovery,

The fact that it can have a positive impact on the lives of millions of people around the world has given us unprecedented strength and determination that has helped us to continue despite the difficulties we have encountered. I have received so many very touching messages from people who have been living with asthma for decades and for whom this news has brought a breath of optimism into their lives,