British researchers have identified a potential new avenue for encouraging lung growth in unborn babies. Researchers have discovered an important player, a well-known molecule called the calcium receptor in early lung development which is a potential drug target for treating very premature babies with small, immature lungs. The results of the study could lead to better outcomes for the premature babies.

As the final stages of lung development happen very late in pregnancy so the premature babies struggle to take enough oxygen and can develop chronic lung disease that may extend into adulthood. The new research found the calcium receptor “switches on” the growth of the lungs in the fetus. By interrupting the receptor function, the researchers were able to manipulate lung development.

According to Professor Paul Kemp, study author, “If that showed correlation between the mutation and post-natal lung health then we could move into clinical trials.” He further said, “The really exciting thing about calcium receptor is that there are already drugs available that can alter its function and, therefore, could modulate lung development. If we can show that one of these drugs can modulate the action of calcium receptor in the lung, it could be used to mature the lungs of a very premature baby as it grows. Better still, an existing drug could potentially be approved much more quickly than a new one.”

The research was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and published in The Journal of Physiology. Professor Janet Allen, BBSRC Director of Research said, “It is exciting to see that BBSRC-funded research has the potential to improve the lives of thousands of very premature babies.”