Asthma management: Blocking two immune system molecules can help prevent future attacks, suggests study

For the study, the researchers targeted two molecules: OX40L and CD30L. Whenever an asthmatic person faces a trigger, their immune system recognises the trigger through memory cells, which then drive inflammation. Now, a group of researchers at La Jolla Institute for Immunology, USA, claim that they have found two immune system molecules that, when blocked, can prevent asthma attacks in mice. Several therapies targeting IgE and other effector cells of the immune system have been developed to manage asthma, though none of these are likely to affect the persistent memory Th2 cells. Based on the findings, the researchers suggested that blocking both OX40L and CD30 may be effective in reducing Th2 memory cells and hence preventing asthma attacks.