Researchers Reinoud Gosens and Anika Nagelkerke from University of Groningen, and Ralph Stadhouders and Rudi Hendriks from Erasmus MC received a ZonMw Open Competition grant entitled ‘Crosstalk between innate lymphocytes and the neuro-epithelial unit as a driver of steroid-resistant asthma’.
Asthma, a lung condition caused by an overactive immune response to specific triggers, is usually managed with anti-inflammatory medication called corticosteroids. However, severe cases show persistent inflammation and airway remodeling that these treatments can’t address. The researchers from Groningen and Rotterdam are investigating a specific group of immune cells, ILC2s, known to induce inflammation in asthma.
Remarkably, they found that a subset of these cells resists treatment and communicates with nerve cells in the airways. This interaction might fuel the treatment-resistant asthma. The research team, skilled in ILC2s, corticosteroids, and nerve cells, will study how these cells communicate, using advanced techniques to uncover why they worsen inflammation and airway remodeling. Understanding this could lead to better treatments and new insights into nerve-immune interactions in diseases.
Source: ZonMw
Airway cholinergic neurons on a chip.
