Modulating the interleukin-5 response in asthma

Over the past decade, scientific advances have greatly enhanced our understanding of the cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms of allergy and asthma and have enabled identification of disease-specific targets for therapeutic intervention. The eosinophil is a highly specializedeffector cell that has long been thought to play a central role in atopy and asthma. In allergic asthmatics, peripheral blood eosinophil counts rise within 24 hours of allergen challenge, and eosinophilic infiltration of the lungs is a hallmark of the late phase asthmatic response (1). Eosinophilic granule proteins, such as eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP), major basic protein (MBP), and eosinophilic peroxidase (EPO), are cytotoxic to the bronchial epithelium, and eosinophil-derived leukotrienes are potent bronchospastic agents (2).