Microdosing

Many diseases wreak havoc not by introducing new villainous elements, like during infections, but by causing harmful changes to innate processes of the body. This is true of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressively debilitating condition often caused by smoking. Treatments are limited, so researchers are investigating the mechanisms behind the symptoms. They focussed on microRNAs – tiny strands of genetic material that regulate the expression of particular genes – in patients and in mice exposed to cigarette smoke. They found that the amounts of one particular microRNA, miR-21, increased in the airway linings during COPD progression (pictured, miR-21 in red and lung cells from a COPD patient in blue). Blocking this microRNA reduced inflammation and improved lung function in mice, restoring cellular pathways back to their usual rhythm. By providing a potential target for new treatments, this discovery could be a breath of fresh air for patients.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Anthony Lewis

Writer

Ant was the web editor in the early days of BPoD, and has since worked with the UK’s top science organisations as a writer and multimedia producer. He now splits his time between freelance work and managing multimedia at The Lancet.

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• Image from the cover of Science TM, from work by Richard Y. Kim, Krishna P. Sunkara, Ken R. Bracke & Andrew G. Jarnicki et al
• Centre for Inflammation, Centenary Institute and University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Image copyright held by and reproduced with permission from the AAAS
• Research published in Science Translational Medicine, November 2021