Sunday November 22 2009 | Biotechnology feed | All feeds
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Sunday November 22 2009 | Biotechnology feed | All feeds
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IL-18 antagonists as potential treatments of acute airway Acute airway inflammation occurs in a variety of different diseases including adult respiratory distress syndrome (this occurs in response to lung insult and in 30% of patients with sepsis). Perhaps even more serious is pneumonia which occurs in 2 million Americans each year, 40,000-70,000 of whom die. Pneumonia ranks sixth among all disease categories as a cause of death and is caused by bacterial infections in adults and viral infections (respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, and influenza A and B viruses) in children. Finally asthma also has an acute inflammatory component and it is therefore clear that clinical options for the treatment of acute airway inflammation represent a major therapeutic requirement. Increase vascular permeability and the infiltration of neutrophils into the airway both contribute to acute airway inflammation and a clear understanding of mechanisms involved in these phenomena is crucial. University of Michigan researchers have now made important advances in this field. According to their recent findings, IL-18 starts to appear in the bronchoalveolar fluid of rats very quickly after the onset of experimentally induced acute inflammation. This cytokine appears to play a key etiological role since recombinant IL-18 increases lung vascular permeability, neutrophil infiltration, and an elevation of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant. On the other hand, intratracheal instillation of anti-IL-18 or the natural antagonist of IL-18, IL-18 binding protein prevents these changes. These findings suggest that endogenous IL-18 functions as a proinflammatory cytokine in experimental models of acute lung inflammation and that IL-18 antagonists may be of use in the treatment of diseases associated with acute lung inflammation. Since few IL-18 antagonists are reported an being in development, this field holds considerable therapeutic and commercial promise. Projects such as these are overviewed in full DiscoveryDossiers. DiscoveryDossiers ~ TherapeuticsAdvances ~ PharmaceuticalSolutions ~ LeadDiscovery ~ Purchase DiscoveryDossiersLeadDiscovery and BioPortfolio aims to provide reliable, insightful analysis on the biotechnology industry. However, this information is provided "as is" and no representations or warranties either express or implied of completeness, accuracy, or of any other nature are made with respect to this information. This information is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy the securities of any company. This information contains forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties which may not be listed. The biotechnology industry is an emerging industry and the securities of the companies mentioned in this report have a very high degree of risk and volatility. For this reason, this information is supplied on the condition that the reader will make his or her own determination as to its suitability for any purpose prior to any use of this information. The employees and officers of LeadDiscovery and BioPortfolio may hold positions in some or all of the stocks discussed in this report. This abstract has been produced by LeadDiscovery Ltd. Founded by life scientists for life scientists we aim to help industry identify cutting edge drug discovery options and academic/biotech institutions maximize the potential of their research. Abstracts strictly reflect the opinion of LeadDiscovery's editorial panel. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of information provided LeadDiscovery and the publisher BioPortfolio, takes no responsibility for incorrect or misleading information. LeadDiscovery is designed for educational and drug development purposes only and is not intended or designed to offer medical advice or advice of any sort, and must not be used for such purpose. The information provided through LeadDiscovery and BioPortfolio should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease and no reliance should be placed on any information contained in this abstract or elsewhere on LeadDiscovery's and BioPortfolio's website. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your physician or other health care provider. |
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