According to a HealthDay News report, a new US study has found that a lung-inflammation-reducing MMP12 gene variant plays a significanr role in protecting the lungs of asthmatic children and adult smokers.

The study, published in the December 16 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, may pave the way for newer methods of treatment for some pulmonary diseases, as it reduces the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in children suffering from asthma and adults who smoke.

For the study, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston undertook the genetic testing of 8,300 children and adults. The study participants were put into seven different groups, including asthmatic children, non-smokers, passive and active smokers, and others.

Upon analyzing the groups, the researchers found that the MMP12 gene variant brought about a notable improvement in the functioning of the lungs in asthmatic children as well as adult smokers, both passive and active. In addition, the study also found a connection between asthma and COPD.

Noting that the MMP12 plays a protective role against lung damage, Dr Norman Edelman, the chief medical officer at the American Lung Association, said: “The gene seems to be protective of the lungs in both asthma and COPD. This gene is involved in the inflammatory process, and asthma is a disease of inflammation and COPD is a disease of inflammation.”