The study suggests that a unique set of regulatory networks controlled by neurons in the gut may be viable targets for future drug therapies to combat chronic inflammatory diseases including asthma, allergy and inflammatory bowel disease.
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Researchers have identified a genetic pathway that could be activated to help sweep out mucus from the lungs of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The discovery came from a series of experiments that began with amoebas single-celled organisms that extend podlike appendages to move around.
“Physician-scientists and fundamental biologists worked together to understand a problem at the root of a major human illness, and the problem, as often happens, relates to the core biology of cells,” says Doug Robinson, professor of cell biology, pharmacology, and molecular sciences, medicine (pulmonary division), oncology, and chemical and biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.