Millions of individuals suffer from asthma, a condition that leads to severe airway constriction, followed by perilous episodes of shortness of breath. At a more molecular level, a protein known as the Calcium Sensitive Receptor (CaSR), which is activated by calcium, seems to be a key player. Specifically, activation of CaSR leads to a higher concentration of calcium ions inside cells, which unleashes a series of signals inside the cells that manifest in the severe narrowing of airways.

Current therapeutic options, mainly aerosolized inhalers, fail to target the root cause of asthma and only serve to temporarily alleviate asthmatic symptoms. In a new study published by a collaborative research team led by Y.S. Prakash from the Mayo Clinic and Daniela Riccardi of Cardiff University seems to offer hope for a new therapeutic option for asthmatics. Their approach relies on the development of molecules known as calcilytics, a class of drugs that block the function of the CaSR protein, a key player in the asthma response that localizes in the airway passages of the lungs.

So, how exactly do these calcilytics work? It appears that upon the onset of an asthma attack, there is an increase in the concentration of calcium ions, which then activate the CaSR protein. Calcilytics prevented an increase in calcium ion concentration and further led to weakening of cell signaling events that precede an asthma attack. Furthermore, experiments performed on laboratory mice that were administered calcilytics showed a decrease in asthma-related inflammation.

The use of calcilytics represents a major advance in offering a promising future treatment for chronic pulmonary conditions. It remains to be determined whether pharmaceutical companies would be interested in forging a fruitful relationship with researchers to further develop a calcilytic fit for human use.

The study was published in the journal, Science Translational Medicine.

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