Background

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that causes swelling of the airways due to inflammation and tightening of the muscles around the airways. It results in narrowing of the airways that carry air from the nose and mouth to the lungs. Structural changes of the airways associated with asthma are referred to as airway remodeling (cellular & extracellular matrix changes, apoptosis, muscle cell proliferation, fibroblast activation).

There is currently no cure for asthma, and treatment technologies depend on bronchodilators and steroids. ADAM33 has been discovered since early 2000s to play an essential role in asthma through airway remodeling however many attempts at targeting ADAM33 have failed.