Linking protein to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease could lead to indication of disease and novel treatments

摘要

Biochemists from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (TX, USA) report that they have linked the osteopontin (OPN) protein to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This work could eventually lead to new approaches to the treatment of the disease. Michael Blackburn, the study's senior author and professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston used a mouse model to demonstrate that they could prevent COPD features by genetically removing OPN. They then analyzed COPD patients' airways and found that OPN was elevated, indicating that a similar approach may be applicable in humans.