Asthma cure on horizon, says leading charity
THE discovery that asthma could be stopped by switching off the gene which causes it is a step closer to stopping the illness, a charity said.
Dr Samantha Walker, Asthma UK’s Director of Research and Policy, said: “This is a really promising avenue of research that we have already agreed to help fund to its next stage, which is to understand exactly how this gene causes the changes seen in the lungs that lead to asthma.
“This will hopefully bring us even closer to stopping asthma attacks and finding a cure for the one in 11 people with asthma in the UK.
“Each day three people die of asthma attacks. Research like this is a step in the right direction although much more investment is needed.
“There are hundreds of thousands of people in the UK for whom current treatments don’t work and they struggle to breathe every day.
“Research like this will give us better avenues to explore why this is the case and to develop treatments that work.”
DOWNLOAD THE SCOTSMAN APP ON ITUNES OR GOOGLE PLAY