Scientists have identified the main genetic switch that causes excessive mucus in the lungs, a discovery that one day could ease suffering for people with chronic lung diseases like asthma and cystic fibrosis, or just those fighting the common cold.
The discovery was reported in a study posted online Sept. 14 by the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The new research sheds light on what has been a medical mystery - the precise biological reasons that the lungs in people with asthma, cystic fibrosis and other respiratory ailments clog with thick mucus.
Identifying the genetic circuits that cause mucous hyper-production gives researchers potential targets for new therapies to moderate or stop it, said Jeffrey Whitsett, M.D., the head of Neonatology, Perinatal and Pulmonary Biology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the study's senior investigator.