Bunged up mouse a boon for research

23 July 2008 12:06am

A mouse with a blocked-up nose has been bred to help people afflicted by a disease that takes away their sense of smell.

The genetically-modified mouse provides researchers with a tool for investigating chronic sinusitis.

The condition is caused by persistent inflammation of the nose and sinus cavities. Sufferers have permanently clogged and runny noses, and are unable to enjoy the fragrance of flowers or perfume or notice the reek of rotting food.

Dr Andrew Lane, from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Maryland, US, who led the creators of the "stuffy nose" mouse, said: "Because we can turn on and off the inflammation in these mice, we really can mimic how the most overlooked and very disabling aspect of sinusitis, the loss of smell, or anosmia, plays out in people.

"Until now, the lack of realistic animal models for each of the key symptoms of chronic inflammation in the nasal tissue - such as the growth of nasal polyps, the loss of the sense of smell, swollen sinus tissue, or clogged and runny noses - has slowed sinusitis research and hindered our search for therapies."

Dr Lane is director of the Johns Hopkins Sinus Centre, where he treats hundreds of patients with sinusitis.

He said new therapies were needed to replace the steroids now used to treat the condition, which have serious side effects such as bone thinning, cataracts in the eyes, and weight gain.

He added: "Ultimately, we hope to develop treatments that allow the sense of smell to recover, even in the presence of a hostile inflammatory environment due to sinusitis," said Dr Lane.

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