New Way to Eliminate Source of Asthma?

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MONDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. researchers say they've found a way to eliminate the source of immune system molecules that cause asthma and other allergic diseases.

These soluble IgE moleclues are produced by immune cells called B cells. While targeting IgE in the blood is an effective treatment for moderate-to-severe allergic asthma, this approach doesn't stop IgE production and patients require repeated treatments, explained the researchers at Genentech Inc. in California.

They say they've developed a way to eliminate IgE-producing B cells, a finding that could lead to new long-lasting treatments for asthma and other allergic diseases.

When tested in mice, this method proved highly effective.

Genentech has a financial stake in the research.

The study appears online May 10 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

-- Robert Preidt

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SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Investigation, news release, May 10, 2010