LJI researchers find missing piece of the asthma puzzle

“An inflammatory molecule called LIGHT, appears to be the cause of life-threatening airway damage in patients with severe asthma. According to the new research from scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), therapeutics to stop LIGHT (which is related to tumor necrosis factor) could reverse airway and lung damage in patients—and potentially offer a long-term treatment for asthma. . . . .     The LIGHT protein is a type of inflammatory “cytokine” produced by the immune system’s T cells. T cells normally fight disease, but in asthma, T cells overreact to environmental triggers and flood the airways with LIGHT and other inflammatory cytokines.  LIGHT can be found elevated in the sputum of asthmatic patients with severe disease . . . .”  MORE

Image Credit: La Jolla Institute for Immunology