BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

Toll gate against allergic asthma

April 16, 2009 7:00 AM UTC

Marketed treatments for allergic asthma, including corticosteroids and adrenergic receptor b2 agonists, have focused on intervening downstream from the initial inhalation of an allergen. Now, a team of Belgian and American researchers has proposed treating allergic asthma by antagonizing toll-like receptor 4 on cells that line the airway and have direct contact with airborne allergens.1

The group thinks that the ability to decrease multiple proinflammatory factors in the allergic asthma cascade could give the compounds an advantage over other asthma therapeutics and is looking for industry partners to take the approach into the clinic...