A protein that may have
originally evolved to help protect the airways now appears to be a
biomarker that indicates severe asthma. And it may also play a role
in the development of asthma, according to new research.
Nov. 15 issue of the New England Journal of
Medicine, Yale University researchers said that people with
severe asthma were more likely to have elevated levels of the
protein known as YKL-40 in their blood compared to people without
asthma.
Dr. Geoffrey Chupp
added
However, both Dickey and Chupp noted that the new study
doesn't prove that YKL-40 is a cause of asthma, only that
elevated levels appear to be a marker of severe asthma.
YKL-40 is what's known as a chitinase-like protein.
It
attaches itself to chitin
Down the road, there could be new treatments and new
ways to characterize asthma."
presence of chitin in the lungs may make the body believe that it
has a helminth infection that it needs to defend against, Dickey
said.
may now
reacti
to harmless dust mites instead.
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