Sufferers of asthma live with a constant unease that an attack can strike at any time. Equally disconcerting is our lack of understanding of its causes and where a cure might come from. But researchers at Cardiff University may have just lifted the veil on this condition, claiming to have not only uncovered its root cause, but drugs that can curtail its symptoms.

In their research, the scientists worked with mouse models and human airway tissue from both sufferers and non-sufferers of asthma. They were able to identify the exact cells that narrow the airways and set off an attack.

The team established that environmental triggers like allergens and cigarette smoke activate a receptor known as the calcium sensing receptor (CaSR). It found this in turn to be the driver of asthma symptoms that make breathing difficult.

But the good news doesn't stop there. They say CaSR can be neutralized with existing drugs called calcilytics, first produced around 15 years ago as a treatment candidate for osteoporosis.