This is good news for everyone affected by respiratory allergies. Toulouse researchers from INSERM have discovered a new molecule which plays a major role in triggering inflammation. This protein is called TL1A and the discovery of its role could allow the development of new treatments.
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TL1A is what we call an alarmin. As its name suggests, it is what will send the alarm signal to the rest of the body when a person is exposed to the substance that causes their allergy.
This is explained by Jean-Philippe Girard, co-author of this study which announces the discovery of the new molecule: “ The white blood cells which are resident in the lungs, in the mucous membranes, will sense this alarm signal brought by the alarmins and will in turn produce mediators of allergic inflammation, certain mediators which will allow the production of mucus in the lungs – this is what will obstruct the bronchi in asthmatics – and this is what creates serious asthma attacks, which can lead in certain cases, unfortunately, to the death of the patient. »
Several more years of clinical studies
One way to combat these severe asthma attacks is to block alarmins. This is a method that could be very effective, because it allows you to act upstream of the entire allergic reaction cascade: “ When we act too low in the cascade, there are often compensations, there is another path, and as a result, the medicine does not work well. And there, if we act on the alarmins, we really block all the inflammation, the whole allergic cascade. »
Before we see a first treatment that acts on this alarm, we will have to wait several years of clinical studies.
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