Magdalena Kegel,  —

Researchers at the Chinese Nanjing University School of Medicine in China discovered yet another microRNA that contributes to the development of lung fibrosis. MicroRNA are small molecules known to control gene activity. The study, “MiR-338* suppresses fibrotic pathogenesis in pulmonary fibrosis through targeting LPA1,” published in the…

Childhood cancer survivors are at an increased risk of developing lung fibrosis for up to 25 years after their initial cancer diagnosis, analyses of data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study show. The report, “Risk and impact of pulmonary complications in survivors of childhood cancer: A report from the Childhood…

FibroStatin recently announced the development of a therapeutic agent against lung fibrosis called T12, building on the entirely new concept of blocking the transition of blood vessel endothelial cells to the more aggressive mesenchymal cells that contribute to fibrosis. This so-called endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is crucial during processes such as wound…

Adding Recomodulin (thrombomodulin) to the standard treatment given for an acute exacerbation of lung fibrosis more than doubled patients’ chances to survive, according to new research from Chiba University in Japan. The study, “Efficacy of Recomodulin for acute exacerbation of IPF and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia: a nonrandomized prospective…

University of California, San Francisco, researchers reported that markers of cellular senescence — a process preventing cells from multiplying uncontrollably — are overly abundant in cells lining lung alveoli in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The study, “miR-34 miRNAs Regulate Cellular Senescence in Type II Alveolar Epithelial…

Lowering the numbers of interleukin-10 (IL-10)-producing immune B-cells in a mouse model protected the animals from developing fibrosis after exposure to silica, according to a recent report by researchers in China. The study, “Role of IL-10-producing regulatory B cells in modulating T-helper cell immune responses during silica-induced lung…

Researchers from The Netherlands found that mice producing high levels of protein C which prevents blood coagulation, develop less severe pulmonary fibrosis; and the milder disease course is linked to lower numbers of immune cells in the lung. The study, “High endogenous activated protein C levels attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis,“ published in…

Salvianolic acid B, a compound isolated from red sage and a main component of the traditional Chinese medicine known as Yiqihuoxue formula, prevented fibrotic changes both in bleomycin-treated mice and in cell culture models. These findings indicate the compound may be worth exploring as a less toxic alternative to treating fibrosis. Traditional Chinese medicine is…

A study from the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liège at Sart Tilman recently reported that two growth factors, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2, are increased in the blood of untreated patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). People receiving treatment had lower IGFBP-2 levels that those who were not treated, indicating the factors might be…

According to research published in the journal Molecular Medicine Reports, blocking the reactive oxygen species-producing NOX1 enzyme prevented fibrotic changes in the lungs of mice exposed to irradiation, suggesting that pulmonary fibrosis caused by chest radiotherapy might be prevented by the use of specific blockers of the enzyme NOX1.