The BBC reports that research into mice appears to confirm a hypothesis about a major cause of damage that occurs in lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
COPD is a disease mainly afflicts smokers and for which there is no cure. In normal lungs, damage to the lung is repaired and scar tissue forms. In those suffering from COPD, however, the lung tissue remains inflamed and tissue does not repair itself.
A molecule CD44 was long suspected to play some role in this whole process, and researchers set out to look at this in mice. So they created genetically modified mice that lacked the gene that produces CD44. And what do you know, the mice developed lung inflammation that did not repair itself.
Dr. Ian Dransfield told the BBC,
We have been interested in this for a number of years. What is different is that this team is concentrating on CD44’s role clearing up waste cells rather than starting the inflammation process. If we could understand how CD44 is doing this, it may open new avenues for treatment.
Sources:
Scientist unlock lung disease secret. The BBC, April 7, 2002.