SCIENTISTS may have discovered a new way to tackle life-threatening asthma attacks.

Research published in Science Translational Medicine journal, which sought to explain why the common cold could bring on life-threatening asthma attacks has been hailed as an "exciting" potential development in the treatment of the chronic illness.

A team from the Medical Research Council and Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma at Imperial College London and King's College London, has identified a possible sequence of biological events that could trigger these attacks.

They say a small molecule may play a key role in the effects of rhinoviruses, the main cause of the common cold, on asthmatics.

The hope is that if scientists can target and block the molecue, IL-25, this will stop the cascade of events and potentially produce a much greater therapeutic effect.

Joint report author Dr Nathan Bartlett of Imperial College London, said: "By targeting this molecule at the top of the cascade, we could discover a much-needed new treatment."