Molecular Immunology Lab

Development of a new selective H4R antagonist for blocking mast cell activation.

Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lung characterized by the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the airways, mucus hypersecretion, and airway hyperresponsiveness.

Histamine has long been known to be the mediator that orchestrates inflammatory and allergic responses, acting mainly through histamine receptors.

H4R activation mediates the selective recruitment and chemotaxis of inflammatory cells and mediator release, leading to chronic airway inflammation.

Therefore, we aimed to study the functional characterization of the histamine H4 receptor in human mast cells, to develop a potent antagonist against H4R and to test the compound in an animal model system.