What causes scar tissues in the lungs of people with asthma?
Sydney researchers have discovered how a specific protein causes scar tissue to be made in the lungs of asthmatic patients. This finding could be used in the treatment of asthma by developing new drugs to target scar tissue formation and thereby assist asthmatics who have trouble breathing. Scar tissue is a major contributor during an asthma attack. It builds up inside the airways and makes it hard for asthmatics to breathe by reducing the amount of air that can get into the lungs, says Dr Janette Burgess, from the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research at the University of Sydney and a 2003 Fresh Science presenter. The scar tissue is a bit like cholesterol building up inside an artery. It makes the space available to let in air much smaller so it is much harder to get it in, she says. Current treatments for asthma cannot prevent this scar tissue build up, says Janette. Janette and her team made this discovery by growing human airway smooth muscle cells from asthmatic and non asthmatic
