Ion channel regulates molecule that contributes to COPD

[Joachim]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—COPD for short—is one of the most common diseases of the lung. It affects almost 300 million people worldwide, of which about three million die every year. A collective term for chronic obstructive bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema, COPD develops primarily as a response to environmental toxins—particularly cigarette smoke—or due to genetic defects. LMU pharmacologist Prof. Christian Grimm from the Walther Straub Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology has now been able to demonstrate, in collaboration with Prof. Martin Biel (Department of Pharmacy) and Dr. Ali Önder Yildirim (Helmholtz Zentrum München), that specific ion channels in immune cells play a decisive role in the inflammation process. According to the scientists, these ion channels could potentially be targets for new therapies.

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