Author Archives: Steve Bryson PhD

A single dose of the investigational oral therapy PLN-74809 for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) achieved therapeutic target engagement of up to 98% in the lungs of patients, according to interim results of a Phase 2a trial. At all doses tested, the anti-fibrotic, or anti-scarring, therapy engaged its intended target…

TXR-1002 and TXR-1007, two new therapeutic candidates for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) from Aria Pharmaceuticals, demonstrated significant efficacy at reducing tissue scarring and good tolerability in a mouse model of the disease. Moreover, Aria said, the new artificial intelligence approach its researchers used in the lab to identify and…

People with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are at a greater risk of severe illness leading to mechanical ventilation or death than are infected patients without this progressive lung disease, a large database study reported. Among hospitalized individuals, however, its scientists saw…

The degree of collagen degradation, a process called collagen turnover, evident in a person’s blood at the time idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is diagnosed predicts the severity of disease progression within one year, regardless of antifibrotic treatment, a study reported. These findings support the use of collagen turnover as a blood…

A subset of fibroblasts that produce a protein called meflin in lung tissues taken from people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) was found to prevent fibrosis, or tissue scarring, in a disease mouse model, scientists reported. “Our research, led by a collaborative team from Nagoya University in Japan and…

Changes in gene activity and immune cell populations in the lungs of people with chronic lung diseases, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), may predispose these patients to severe COVID-19, a study indicated. “Our results suggest that patients with chronic lung disease are molecularly primed to be more susceptible…

Enrollment has resumed, under a revised trial protocol, in the Phase 2b study GALACTIC-1, which is evaluating Galecto’s investigational inhaled therapy GB0139 in adults with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Galecto in March had been advised to stop recruiting and treating certain trial participants after disparities were…

A computer analysis identified a tiny RNA molecule, or microRNA, as a potential therapeutic target to halt the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which was confirmed later in cell-based tests. Researchers now plan to use these results to develop new RNA-based therapeutics or small molecules with the potential…

A radioactive molecule that can be seen on positron emission tomography (PET) scans may offer a non-invasive way to identify and monitor pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a study in mice reported.  Further development of this radiotracer — which binds to activated fibroblasts in the lungs — could support its…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted United Therapeutics’ application for a priority review of Tyvaso DPI, an experimental dry powder inhaled formulation of treprostinil, to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD). …