Asthma Breakthrough Holds Promise

Scientists have found a “cellular pump” that appears central to the development of asthma, pointing the way to possible new treatments, the BBC reports. The pump, called SERCA2, helps airway muscles relax. People with asthma had reduced SERCA2 levels, researchers found; replacing it in airway muscle cells could help fight asthma symptoms and long-term airway “remodeling” associated with the disease. (More medical breakthrough stories.)