Scientists from CNRS, Inserm, and Université Toulouse III — Paul Sabatier have recently discovered a molecule that is responsible for triggering inflammation in allergic respiratory diseases like asthma and allergic rhinitis. This molecule, which belongs to the alarmin family, is seen as a promising target for the treatment of allergic diseases.A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine on 10 April highlighted the importance of finding new ways to treat allergic diseases. The study, led by Corinne Cayrol and Jean-Philippe Girard, focused on the inflammation process involved in allergic respiratory diseases like asthma and allergic rhinitis. While the pulmonary epithelium is known to play a major role in the inflammation that causes these diseases, there is still much that is not fully understood about the underlying mechanisms. A research team has discovered a therapeutic target with the potential to impact the treatment of these diseases.One of the molecules responsible for causing allergic reactions has been identified. Scientists at the CNRS and Inserm, working at l’Institut de pharmacologie et de biologie structural (CNRS/Université Toulouse III — Paul Sabatier), discovered that a molecule called TL1A from the alarmin family is released by lung epithelium cells within minutes of exposure to a mold-type allergen. TL1A works with another alarmin, interleukin-33, to alert the immune system. This double alarm signal activates immune cells and sets off a chain of reactions that lead to allergic inflammation.
As a result, alarmins play a significant role in causing allergic reactions.therapeutic targets for the treatment of respiratory allergic diseases. In a few years’ time, treatments based on antibodies blocking the TL1A alarmin could benefit patients suffering from severe asthma or other allergic diseases. In France, at least 17 million people are affected by allergic diseaseswith the most severe forms of asthma being responsible for several hundred deaths every year.
