A mechanism triggered by the activation of two specific proteins called JAK2 and STAT3 was found to contribute to the damaging cellular transformations that occur in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a study reports. Blocking this signaling pathway reduced the levels of lung damage in a rat model of IPF,…
News
A new nanocarrier has been developed that is able to selectively deliver medicines to damaged cells in the lungs, alleviating fibrosis in mice, a study reports. Based on a naturally occurring process called cell senescence, the system also helps reduce the therapies’ toxic effects on healthy…
A team of researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine was recently granted $865,282 from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to investigate a stem cell therapy for pulmonary fibrosis. CIRM awarded two grants worth a total of…
An immune pathway that includes a molecule known as IL-33 and its receptor, ST2, may be key in the development and progression of pulmonary fibrosis (PF), according to new research in mice. The study, “The IL-33 Receptor ST2 Regulates Pulmonary Inflammation and Fibrosis to Bleomycin,” was published…
A new mobile app called PF Health has been launched to help patients with pulmonary fibrosis track their symptoms and share that information with their healthcare providers. The PF Health app resulted from collaborative work of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) and monARC Bionetworks, and aims to empower…
Targeting a key protein of the innate immune system called TLR4 could be a new way of treating people with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and other fibrotic disorders, according to a Northwestern University study. The study, “TLR4-dependent fibroblast activation drives persistent organ fibrosis in skin and lung,” was published…
Blade Therapeutics has launched a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate BLD-2660, its lead therapy candidate for the treatment of fibrosis, the company recently announced. The randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation Phase 1 trial (NCT03559166) is enrolling an estimated 88 healthy volunteers to assess the safety and pharmacokinetics — how…
Pliant Therapeutics raised $62 million in a second round of financing that will be used to support the development of the company’s lead product candidates in fibrotic diseases. The funding is expected to advance therapies to early-stage clinical trials in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and primary sclerosing cholangitis…
Galapagos is planning to launch a Phase 2 clinical trial for its treatment candidate GLPG1205 in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Expected to begin in the second half of 2018, the PINTA trial will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of this investigational therapy at several clinical sites in…
Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and other lung diseases may be late complications in patients with Type 2 diabetes, according to a German study. The study, “Breathlessness and Restrictive Lung Disease: An Important Diabetes-Related Feature in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes,” was published in the journal Respiration. Breathlessness…
