Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

Patricia holds her PhD in cell biology from the University Nova de Lisboa, Portugal, and has served as an author on several research projects and fellowships, as well as major grant applications for European agencies. She also served as a PhD student research assistant in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University, New York, for which she was awarded a Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD) fellowship.

Articles by Patricia Inácio

IPF Patients Seen to Benefit from Pirfenidone Treatment

An analysis of pooled data from three Phase 3 clinical trials in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients shows that treatment with pirfenidone for one year significantly reduced disease progression. The study, titled “Pirfenidone for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: analysis of pooled data from three multinational phase 3 trials,” was published in…

Pulmonary Fibrosis Patient’s Age May Affect Stem Cells’ Ability to Prevent Damage

A team of researchers report that a mouse’s age influences the ability of its mesenchymal stem cells to repair pulmonary fibrosis-induced damage, a finding with significant implications for stem cell therapies. The study, “Therapeutic benefits of young, but not old, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in a chronic mouse model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis,”…

Potential IPF Disease Biomarkers Seen in Patients’ Blood

Findings by a team of researchers suggest that levels of circulating endothelial cells and fibrocytes may be used as predictive biomarkers in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The team’s study, “Levels of circulating endothelial cells are low in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and are further reduced by anti-fibrotic treatments,” was published in the journal…

OFEV® (Nintedanib) Efficacy Supported in New Study

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals recently presented results of the Phase III INPULSIS trials investigating the efficacy of OFEV® (nintedanib) in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) at the American College of Chest Physicians Annual Meeting (CHEST 2015). The Phase III INPULSIS trials were randomized, double-blind studies designed to assess both the efficacy and safety…

LARIAT Trial Shows Benefits of Reata’s Bardoxolone Methyl in Treating Fibrosis and Inflammation in PAH

Reata Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, recently presented results from the LARIAT trial investigating the drug bardoxolone methyl in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The study entitled “Bardoxolone Methyl Evaluation in Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)” was presented in the 2015 American College…

In IPF Study, Fibroblasts Seen as More Aggressive with USP13 Loss

In a recent study entitled “Down-regulation of USP13 mediates phenotype transformation of fibroblasts in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,” a team of researchers investigated the differences in gene expression in fibroblast foci in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). They found that the expression of a particular gene, USP13,…