Modulation of asthmatic airway inflammation by activation of epithelial proteinase activated receptors

Funded Activity Summary

Children and adults feel the symptoms of asthma because their airways close up too easily. We have discovered a new mechanism that the healthy lung uses to keep airways open. The epithelial cells which line the airway release an enzyme that cuts of a small part of another protein, called a PAR receptor, that sits on the same cell. When this happens the epithelial cell releases relaxing substances from their lower surface. The relaxing substances keep the airways open. This grant application is designed to test whether the relaxing system also stops the airways from developing inflammation. If the relaxing system does this we will be able to use the knowlege we have that lets us activate the PAR receptors artificially to design new types of drugs. These drugs would be better than existing asthma drugs because they would prevent inflammation and relax the airways at the same time. These drugs could also be useful in other lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2000

End Date: 01-01-2002

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $188,912.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Medical biochemistry - carbohydrates

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Asthma | Inflammation | Proteinase activated receptors | TH2 lymphocytes | acute asthma | airway inflammation | bronchitis | chronic asthma | chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) | cytokines and chemokines

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