Vanderbilt investigators have discovered that certain microRNAs — "telegram"-like signals — increase after the induction of allergic airway inflammation.

The first Flexner Discovery Lecture of the academic year featured presentations by two Vanderbilt faculty members.

A receptor previously implicated in asthma may also play roles in other allergic diseases and in leukemia, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.

A drug used to treat diabetes may point to new therapies for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis — inflammation and obstruction of the lungs’ small airways. A multi-disciplinary team of Vanderbilt investigators has demonstrated that liraglutide reduces the inflammatory response to RSV infection in a mouse model of the disease.

New findings from Vanderbilt suggest that blocking the migration of cells involved in asthma may represent a new approach for treating the respiratory condition.

A particular gene is associated with a specific type of inflammatory response in people with asthma – a finding that could suggest new therapeutic targets for treating asthma.

Drugs such as aspirin and indomethacin may increase sensitivity to airborne allergens by suppressing production of the signaling molecule PGI2, which in turn may offer a new treatment for allergies.