Studies not to be sneezed at

LONDON - Miserable summers of itchy eyes, running noses and sneezing may become a thing of the past after US scientists yesterday reported a breakthrough in the fight against allergies.

The research "could lead to the development of a new class of drugs that attack allergies at their source, preventing ... the itching, sneezing and congestion of allergies, the life-threatening respiratory distress of asthma and anaphylactic shock," the researchers said.

"Today's commercial drugs only treat symptoms once the allergic response is under way," the scientists said as their research was published in the journal Nature.

Using X-rays, they determined how two important molecules involved in allergic responses - antibodies and mast cell receptors - interacted.

"In order to design drugs effectively, a chemist needs to know the structure and shape of the target molecules. Our discovery provides a three-dimensional image of how the two molecules interact," scientist Theodore Jardetzky said.

Antibodies patrol the body searching for foreign particles - antigens or allergens. When they detect one they activate mast cell receptors, initiating a response which causes allergic symptoms.

The researchers have determined how the "lock and key" interact and hope this will allow them to develop inhibitor molecules "that attach to the antibody, thereby preventing the key from fitting the lock."

More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies and asthma.

- REUTERS<

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