Research shows that inhibiting necroptosis, a form of cell death, could be a novel therapeutic approach for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an inflammatory lung condition, also known as emphysema, that makes it difficult to breathe.
Published in the prestigious ‘American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine’, the study by a team of Australian and Belgian researchers, revealed elevated levels of necroptosis in patients with COPD.
By inhibiting necroptosis activity, both in the lung tissue of COPD patients as well as in specialised COPD mouse models, the researchers found a significant reduction in chronic airway inflammation as well as damage to the lung.
Professor Phil Hansbro (pictured), Director of the Centenary UTS Centre for Inflammation who led the research team, said that necroptosis was a form of cell death known to drive tissue inflammation and destruction.
centenary.org.au/cen_news/c...
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Research Paper(Paywall):
emphysema
