Discovery of new genes involved in allergic asthma

Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the lungs that affects over 10% of all Australians. A number of drugs are currently available for the treatment of asthma, but there are many people whose asthma does not respond well to treatment. We have identified 2 genes, aP2 and mal1, that may be important in the development of asthma. Drugs targeted against these genes may be useful in the treatment of asthma. In this project, we aim to understand how aP2 and mal1 contribute to disease development.