Novel approaches to control mast cell function

Chief Investigator:

Associate Professor Michele Grimbaldeston

Funding Amount:

$70,000

Recipient:

University of South Australia

Overview:

Allergic disorders, such as asthma, anaphylaxis and atopic dermatitis, remain major health problems in need of better long term management. Currently, approx. 4.1 million Australians are afflicted with disease onset commonly present in children and adolescents. Allergic inflammation can be driven by activated mast cells and we have discovered that a family of proteins, IL-3/IL-5/GM-CSF, present in allergic inflammation can amplify the magnitude of mast cell responses, and that such elevated responses can be combated using our unique human IL-3 receptor blocking antibodies we have developed.

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