A research group in the Physiology Department led by LMH Fellow Professor Anant Parekh has found a potential new way of treating allergies. A report of the research has been published in the journal Nature.

Professor Parekh explains: ‘In order to adapt to changes in their environment, cells in living organisms express receptors on their surface that let them detect hormones, neurotransmitters and other chemical signals as well as temperature and pressure. Activation of these receptors leads to a change in cell function. However, prolonged stimulation of receptors often leads to cell damage and can even cause cell death.

‘To prevent this, a universal mechanism to turn off a biological response is receptor desensitization, where the ability of a physiological trigger to activate a cell is lost despite the continued presence of the stimulus. One important receptor is the leukotriene type I receptor, which regulate immune cell function by switching on important genes that orchestrate inflammatory responses. This receptor is an established therapeutic target for allergies including asthma.’

Professor Parekh’s research group has discovered that rather than serving to turn off a biological response, reversible desensitization of the leukotriene receptor acts as an ‘on’ switch, sustaining long-term signalling in the immune system. These findings identify a new approach to treating asthma and other immune cell disorders.


Further information

Nature paper

Professor Anant Parekh

Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics