Discovering the marvels of mucus is inspiring amazing new medicines

Most of us would rather not dwell for too long on the subject of mucus. We know it is there, quietly lubricating our insides and presumably doing vital work. It is only when we have a cold that we give it any particular attention – and even then, it is an unpleasant nuisance, something to be wiped away as discretely as possible and chucked in the bin.

Yet new research is revealing just how marvellous mucus is. Of course, we have long known that it plays a key role in fending off disease, but it was mostly thought of as nothing more than a sticky physical barrier. We now know it is far more sophisticated: it is a substance that can morph, adapt and even change the behaviour of invading microbes. “We are actually now learning more and more that it is very dynamic,” says biochemist David Thornton at the University of Manchester, UK. “It is not just an inert barrier.”

These discoveries are prompting a dramatic rethink of the slimy stuff. Mucus is increasingly inspiring new medicines, such as experimental drugs that may one day replace antibiotics, while understanding where mucus goes wrong is leading to new treatments for conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. As researchers continue to unravel its secrets, we may find that mucus holds the keys to improving our health and fighting off disease.

Meet your mucus

You might not know it, but you are oozing with mucus. It covers 200 times more surface area than skin, coating every one of our moist surfaces, inside…