Summary:

Researchers at The Ohio State University have identified a unique signaling pathway that is activated under physiological conditions and by selective drugs to regulate the level of IgE antibody produced by B cells. The pathway regulates IgE without affecting IgG antibody production, thereby allowing for creation of new allergic asthma therapies that do not depress the overall activity of the immune system. The development of these therapies may reduce patient dependency on current allergic asthma therapies and could decrease a patient’s risk of asthma-related death. The discovery of the pathway may provide therapeutic targets for reducing allergic asthma symptoms during periods of stress. The pathway may help patients avoid the time-dependent decreases in efficacy that characterize asthma drugs currently on the market.

Potential Applications:

• Pharmaceutical market
  • Allergic asthma therapies
  • Allergy therapies
  • Eosinophilic esophagitis therapies
  • Therapies to treat parasitic infections
• Scientific research
  • Specific phosphatase inhibitors

Advantages:

• Novel pathway targeted by ß2-adrenergic receptor
• Pathway specific to regulation of IgE
• Independent of baseline IgE production