Antisense For Asthma From Epigenesis

Researchers at Epigenesis Pharmaceuticals, based in Greenville, NorthCarolina, in the USA, have found further evidence that adenosine and its receptors could be a viable target system for new asthma treatments.

Adenosine has been implicated in the development of bronchial hyper-reactivity and the control of inflammation, and there has been a great deal of research into adenosine receptors as potential targets for therapeutic intervention in asthma. In Nature (February 20), the Epigenesis researchers and colleagues from East Carolina University reported that antisense oligonucleotides which disrupt the formation of the adenosine A1 receptor have a protective effect in animal models of asthma.

The researchers used rabbits allergic to dust mites as the model for the asthma system. Four aerosol-delivered doses of the oligonucleotide reduced the number of adenosine A1 receptors by around 75%. More importantly, airway constriction after challenge with dust mite allergen, adenosine itself, or histamine, was significantly attenuated.