Steve Bryson, PhD, science writer —

Steve holds a PhD in biochemistry from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada. As a medical scientist for 18 years, he worked in both academia and industry, where his research focused on the discovery of new vaccines and medicines to treat inflammatory disorders and infectious diseases. Steve is a published author in multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals and a patented inventor.

Articles by Steve Bryson

Pro-fibrotic immune cell detected in lungs of long COVID-19 patients

Researchers have identified a type of pro-fibrotic immune cell associated with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in people who develop persistent breathing problems after recovering from COVID-19. The cells’ abundance correlated with the severity of fibrosis, or tissue scarring, as detected by CT scans. “The underlying cells and molecules that contribute…

Enrollment complete for Phase 2a trial of IPF treatment BBT-877

Enrollment has been completed for a Phase 2a study that’s testing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) treatment BBT-877, an investigational therapy from Bridge Biotherapeutics. The Phase 2a trial (NCT05483907) is evaluating the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of BBT-877 in 120 adults with IPF, ages 40 and older, with or…

Bexotegrast reverses signs of IPF lung scarring in Phase 2a trial

Pliant Therapeutics’ bexotegrast reversed the signs of lung scarring, while improving lung function and easing cough severity in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to top-line data from a small Phase 2a imaging trial. Using positron emission tomography (PET) scans, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital were able…

Pliant Therapeutics accelerates development of bexotegrast for IPF

Pliant Therapeutics’ Phase 2b BEACON-IPF trial testing bexotegrast, an investigational oral treatment, in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is now a pivotal, adaptive Phase 2b/3 trial. Accepted by European Union and global health authorities, the implementation of the adaptive design is expected to markedly shorten the therapy’s…

Rituximab, chemotherapy elevate PF risk after COVID-19: Study

Use of cancer chemotherapy agents or rituximab to treat autoimmune diseases was associated with an increased risk of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in people hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a large-scale U.S. study. Exposure to these medications, along with anti-inflammatory corticosteroids and amiodarone, used to treat certain heart rhythm disorders,…