UCD researchers confident of progress against lung disease
Scientists at the School of Medicine in UCD have opened the door to a possible new treatment for lung disease.
Over 100,000 people in Ireland suffer from chronic obstructive disorders like emphysema and chronic bronchitis, mostly caused by smoking.
Professor of Physiology at UCD's School of Medicine Paul McLoughlin however said the treatment stage is still far off.
"We've identified a new pathway that seems to make things worse in lung disease, related to a protein called gremlin," Prof McLoughlin said.
"Now that we've identified that we can begin the task of exploring ways of blocking this protein and its actions.
"Realistically, looking at drug development, we are 10 or 15 years away from an active agent - if all goes well - that would be used in patients."
