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Scientists open doors to diagnosis of emphysema
Date:8/3/2009

ples of lung cells from a mouse model of acute lung inflammation showed that MMP12 activity in macrophages was indeed increased.

Although the study was performed in mice, the researchers hope that in future it will be possible to adapt the test for use in patients. "It would allow us to use MMP12 as a biomarker to monitor disease evolution and the risk of emphysema formation. It could also serve to examine the response to therapeutic interventions in patients with inflammatory lung diseases," says Marcus Mall, group leader at the Children's Hospital at the University of Heidelberg.

The EMBL and University researchers hope that the new testing strategy can be extended to other enzymes involved in lung inflammation and that, with a better picture of the processes underlying these diseases, future treatments could be more specific, reducing the side-effects often caused by broad spectrum treatments.


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Contact: Anna-Lynn Wegener
49-622-138-7452
European Molecular Biology Laboratory
Source:Eurekalert

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