Investigating the therapeutic potential of targeting the calcium-sensing receptor in asthma

Asthma affects ~340 million patients worldwide. In severe asthma, symptoms may remain uncontrolled with current treatments. Moreover, current drug therapies do not treat all aspects of asthma. Therefore, new therapeutics are required. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the therapeutic potential of targeting the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), a protein target in the airway. My research shows that blocking this protein promotes bronchodilation in mouse airways and provides structural evidence showing how these drugs may work. We expect this data will provide strategies for developing novel drugs for asthma.