Overcoming asthma attacks caused by the common cold

The common cold is one of the main causes of asthma attacks, with around 90% of people with asthma saying that colds and flu trigger their symptoms.

Asthma UK-funded scientists aim to discover crucial information that can be used to develop new treatments that either prevent or alleviate asthma attacks triggered by viruses.

Professor Sebastian Johnston is based at the MRC-Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma at Imperial College London. He has been working to understand the link between viruses and asthma for over ten years.

Professor Johnston and his colleagues plan to build on their previous discoveries and uncover the precise role of a molecule called IL-10.

This molecule is produced by cells of the immune system and Professor Johnston wants to test whether when someone with asthma catches a cold, too much IL-10 might make matters worse.

The relationship between the immune system and asthma is incredibly complicated, requiring detailed analysis to unpick the various components and understand how they interlink.

Professor Johnston is a world-leading scientist, and a specialist in the role of virus infections and asthma. His research is providing vital information that we hope will lead to new ways to treat and prevent virus-linked asthma attacks, potentially benefitting millions of people with asthma across the UK.