Experimental treatment for COPD in development
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed a non-steroid based strategy for improving the lung's innate immune defense and decreasing inflammation that can be a problem for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In a study published in the April 13 edition of the journal Science Translational Medicine, the Johns Hopkins researchers targeted the Nrf2 pathway using sulforaphane, an ingredient that is present in broccoli in a precursor form, to enhance the Nrf2 pathway in the lung that mediates the uptake of bacteria. Exacerbation of symptoms due to bacterial lung infection is a common problem for many COPD patients. The current study used inflammatory cells from lungs of COPD patients and mice. The experimental therapy is also being studied in a clinical trial.