• Question: Can you cure asthma?

    Asked by lisarose to Amy on 16 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Amy MacQueen

      Amy MacQueen answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Hi Lisarose!

      Good question! At the moment I don’t think it is possible to “cure” asthma as such – but we can treat it. Most asthmatics respond well to steroid treatment – this is what is in the inhalers you might have if you have asthma. These steroids work in two main ways – by reducing inflammation and stopping the wheezing you get – and by opening up the airways allowing you to breathe more easily.

      But some people are “steroid-insensitive” asthmatics – these people usually have one of the most severe forms of asthma and they cannot be treated successfully with steroids because they do not respond to them! What is exciting about the protein that I work on is that a drug which targets one form of it is currently moving into clinical trials for asthma to help people like this! exciting stuff!! 🙂

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