About 10 per cent of asthma sufferers do not respond to conventional medications due to the severity of their condition. UQ Pr Mark Smythe said the research team was developing a new drug designed to offer patients a safer and more effective treatment.
“Current inhaled steroids are designed to treat the symptoms of asthma, not the underlying cause,” Mr Smythe said.
“Long-term use of current drug therapies can also cause unwanted side-effects, particularly when taking high doses of steroids.
“Effects can include a reduced growth rate in children and the weakening of bones in adults.”
The researchers are creating new drug therapies that target hematopoietic prostaglandin synthase (HPGD2S) – the enzyme responsible for the overproduction of prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), which plays a role in inflammation and allergies.
“HPGD2 is well recognised as an enzyme which is involved in bringing on asthma, which makes it a valid target for new drug treatments,” Mr Smythe said.
Mr Smythe and his colleagues have developed a HPGD2S compound that can be taken orally and can prevent PGD2 production in animals.
To speed up the development of these potential drugs, Mr Smythe has partnered with a team of advisors from the biotechnology industry who have significant commercial and drug discovery experience
The team has received an extension on a National Health and Medical Research Council Development Grant to build on their progress and develop these lead compounds into viable asthma treatments.