Respiratory researchers have discovered new factors and a pathway that may drive the onset of steroid resistance in severe asthma, which they hope could lead to a clinical treatment breakthrough.

Respiratory researchers have discovered new factors and a pathway that may drive the onset of steroid resistance in severe asthma, which they hope could lead to a clinical treatment breakthrough.

In the internationally renowned Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Professor Phil Hansbro and his team detected a new molecule called microRNA-21 or ‘miR-21’ as the trigger for a complex biological cascade that drives airway inflammation.

“Steroid resistance is the biggest issue in severe asthma,” Professor Hansbro said. “We found an anti-inflammatory gene that is suppressed by miR-21. This then inhibits another molecule [HDAC2] that’s really important in responding to steroids in asthma.”

As a new treatment, Professor Hansbro’s team is now aiming to artificially replicate the PTEN gene to “confuse” miR-21 and therefore inhibit the ensuing cascade.