a new molecule identified, responsible for triggering inflammation

The discovery offers hope for patients with serious allergies, particularly asthma.

One of the molecules responsible for triggering inflammation at the origin of allergic respiratory diseases, such as asthma and allergic rhinitis, has just been discovered by scientists from the CNRS, Inserm and the Toulouse III University – Paul Sabatier. The discovery, published Wednesday April 10, in the American journal Journal of experimental medicineis new hope for patients with serious allergies, particularly asthma.

Jean-Philippe Girard, researcher at CNRS and research director at Inserm, discovered 20 years ago with his team at the University of Toulouse a molecule which reacts in the respiratory tract when the body is exposed to an allergen. “15 minutes later” exposure, the cells lining the lungs, alveoli and bronchi release “alarm signals, which we call alarmins. This is what will trigger a whole cascade of reactions causing the allergy”explains the researcher to France Inter.

“We block the entire cascade of reactions”

Until now, two alarmins were known. Pharmaceutical laboratories are therefore testing antibody treatments to block them, in particular to treat patients with COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a chronic disease which obstructs the bronchi. “If we block the alarm from the start, we block the entire cascade of reactions, we reduce exacerbations”details Jean-Philippe Girard. “It is the exacerbations that can lead to serious reactions up to and including death in patients with asthma or COPD.”

For this third alarmin, TL1A, clinical research is not starting from scratch. Antibodies against the new alarmin have already been developed for other diseases, such as inflammatory bowel diseases, particularly Crohn’s disease. Jean-Philippe Girard wants to be confident. “We have been working on these alarms for 20 years. We tell ourselves that we are really going to have an impact”, assures the researcher. He estimates that clinical trials on the pulmonary tract will begin within 5 years. There are 17 million French people with allergies, four million of whom have asthma. 200,000 to 400,000 suffer from severe forms of asthma.