Asthma is a condition that affects millions of people worldwide, yet has no cure and current treatment options only target symptoms. This technology identifies an ion channel agonist called rottlerin that combats airway inflammation to treat asthma with minimal side effects. Rottlerin is an anti-inflammatory airway smooth muscle relaxant that works on large voltage- and calcium-activated potassium channels.
Current treatments for symptoms and to prevent asthma attacks include using corticosteroids, an anti-inflammatory, multiple times a day. Long-term usage of corticosteroids brings about side effects, so dosing is usually decreased after a few months. Rottlerin alleviates symptoms of asthma without causing observable toxicities in mouse models, which suggests that the drug can be used to treat and prevent asthma attacks over a long period of time.
The therapeutic efficacy of rottlerin was tested in ovalbumin and house dust mite-induced aeroallergen asthma mouse models.
Patent Pending
Tech Ventures Reference: IR CU14045