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Research into the development of childhood asthma can now be undertaken in more detail than ever before, thanks to the development of a new laboratory model by scientists at the MRC-Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma.
Researchers treated very young mice with house-dust mite extract to mimic what happens in young children. They found that, like in children, several things happened to the mice’s lungs. They saw inflammation, narrowing and increased sensitivity of the airways, higher levels of IgE in the blood (an indication of allergies), and high numbers of immune cells entering the lungs.
The new mouse model will provide researchers with unprecedented insight into how the lungs and immune system develop, and how exposure to dust, pollen and other allergens influence this process to cause asthma.
This research was funded by the British Lung Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. However, the same researchers, Professor Clare Lloyd and Dr Sejal Saglani, are also undertaking related Asthma UK-funded research projects into childhood wheeze and airway remodelling. Their ultimate aim is to reduce the impact that wheeze and asthma have on the lives of children and adults in the UK.
Dr Saglani said: ‘We hope to use this model to study asthma in far greater detail than has previously been possible.’
Dr Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at Asthma UK, commented: ‘There are over a million children in the UK with asthma, and every 16 minutes a child is admitted to hospital because of their asthma symptoms. Professor Lloyd and Dr Saglani are highly experienced and talented researchers and we are confident in their ability to uncover new insight into asthma that could lead to significant benefits for both children and adults in the UK.’
This research was published online in the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.
Researchers treated very young mice with house-dust mite extract to mimic what happens in young children. They found that, like in children, several things happened to the mice’s lungs. They saw inflammation, narrowing and increased sensitivity of the airways, higher levels of IgE in the blood (an indication of allergies), and high numbers of immune cells entering the lungs.
The new mouse model will provide researchers with unprecedented insight into how the lungs and immune system develop, and how exposure to dust, pollen and other allergens influence this process to cause asthma.
This research was funded by the British Lung Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. However, the same researchers, Professor Clare Lloyd and Dr Sejal Saglani, are also undertaking related Asthma UK-funded research projects into childhood wheeze and airway remodelling. Their ultimate aim is to reduce the impact that wheeze and asthma have on the lives of children and adults in the UK.
Dr Saglani said: ‘We hope to use this model to study asthma in far greater detail than has previously been possible.’
Dr Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at Asthma UK, commented: ‘There are over a million children in the UK with asthma, and every 16 minutes a child is admitted to hospital because of their asthma symptoms. Professor Lloyd and Dr Saglani are highly experienced and talented researchers and we are confident in their ability to uncover new insight into asthma that could lead to significant benefits for both children and adults in the UK.’
This research was published online in the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.
