CRC discovery contributes to asthma drug development

A discovery made at WEHI by the Cooperative Research Centre for Cellular Growth Factors (CRC-CGF) has led to the selection of an antibody-based drug for full preclinical development as a potential new treatment for asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Dr Andrew Nash, CEO of Amrad Corporation - a Melbourne-based biotech company and sole commercial partner of the CRC-CFG - has announced that the international pharmaceutical company, Merck & Co Inc, will pursue the preclinical development of a monoclonal antibody that blocks the activity of a particular 'cytokine': a chemical messenger that transmits signals between cells. Cytokines signal through receptors on the surface of cells and the antibody interacts with the receptor to stop the signalling process.

The inflammation typical of asthma is believed to be caused by the over-amplification of the normal communication signals transmitted between cells in the lung. The jamming of the signal 'volume' on 'high' causes distortion of the usually carefully modulated inter-cell signals, leading to errant cell behaviour and inflammation. The receptor for a cytokine known as IL-13, which was discovered by the CRC-CGF, is believed to be responsible for much of this signal distortion.

The focus of Merck will be the development of antibody-based drugs that bind to the receptor for IL-13 to reduce the 'loudness' of the cell signals. It is hoped that this approach to the inhibition of IL-13 signalling will lead to a substantial reduction in lung inflammation.