Development fo a novel treatment for asthma: the identification of lead small molecule antagonists of the IL-13/IL-13 re

在发达国家，哮喘是最常见的慢性疾病之一。现在有200多万澳大利亚人患有这种疾病，估计我们社区每年的费用超过7.2亿美元。1996年，沃尔特和伊丽莎霍尔研究所的研究人员发现了细胞因子受体家族的新成员IL-13 Ra 1，进一步的研究强烈暗示了这种疾病的病理学。这项研究的主要目标是发现IL-13 Ra 1的小分子拮抗剂，并确定适合开发为新型哮喘治疗药物的小分子拮抗剂。

In developed countries Asthma ranks among the most common chronic illnesses. Over two million Australians now have this condition and the cost to our community is estimated to be in excess of $720 million per annum. In 1996 researchers at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute discovered a new member of the cytokine receptor family, IL-13Ra1, which further research has strongly implicated in the pathology of this disease. The main goal of the proposed research is to discover small molecule antagonists of IL-13Ra1 and to identify those suitable for development as novel asthma therapeutics.