This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Protein in conjunctiva may be new target for allergy remedies
A protein found in the conjunctiva that seems to play a crucial role in the early stages of allergy reactions may be a target for future allergy treatments, according to researchers in England.
Prof. Santa Jeremy Ono and others at University College London and Moorfields Eye Hospital found that macrophage inflammatory protein-1a (MIP-1a) is essential in the initial stages of allergy response and also plays a role in the later chronic phase. They theorize that blocking the binding of MIP-1a to its cellular receptors may play a therapeutic role in the treatment of ocular allergy and possibly other allergic disease.
“We are currently carrying out studies to test the efficacy of existing drugs that block MIP-1a and similar molecules in the therapy of allergic diseases,” Prof. Ono said in a press release from University College London. “Clinical trials are anticipated shortly, and if they prove effective, these studies may lead to new therapies within the next 5 to 7 years.”
The study by Prof. Ono and colleagues was published in the Jan. 14 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.