News

BerGenBio’s bemcentinib (BGB324) stops the progression of aggressive tissue scarring in the lungs and liver, preclinical-trial research shows. Researchers published the findings in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. The article is titled “Targeting of TAM Receptors Ameliorates Fibrotic Mechanisms in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.” The results were also presented…

A gene called FOXF1 can inhibit the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to scientists at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. They reported that IPF patients’ lungs, as well as the lungs of mouse models of IPF, lack the gene in cells called myofibroblasts that play a…

A chemical found in certain types of vegetables displayed anti-tissue scarring activity in laboratory and mice lung-tissue experiments, a study reports. The results suggested that the chemical, sulforaphane, could be used to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF, researchers said. An article about the study, “Sulforaphane attenuates…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently granted orphan drug status to Reviva Pharmaceuticals’ treatment candidate RP5063 for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Reviva is now planning to launch Phase 2 studies testing RP5063 in both IPF and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients. The FDA granted orphan…

A little-known government entity within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is helping to lead U.S. efforts to speed up the development of therapies for some 7,000 rare diseases. The Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, was established in 1993 within the NIH Office of the…

The University of California is creating a research institute that springs out of the blocks quickly to provide a faster, more cost-effective way of studying idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Scientists call such structures pop-up institutes. It takes years for typical university institutes to go from the planning stage to functioning.

A lung-scarring disease that affects preterm infants has a tissue repair signaling problem seen in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Vanderbilt University researchers report. The discovery increases scientists’ understanding of the mechanisms underlying bronchopulmonary dysplasia and IPF. It also raises the possibility of treating both disorders by targeting the signaling dysfunction. Researchers published…

NYU Langone’s Transplant Institute successfully performed its first double lung transplant on a woman with a complicated form of pulmonary fibrosis. The procedure is part of the organization’s new lung transplant program. The surgery took place Feb. 10, just weeks after the institution performed…

Boehringer Ingelheim’s signature Breathless Campaign will collaborate with Minor League Baseball this season to raise awareness of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The baseball league has named Boehringer Ingelheim an official IPF awareness partner. In this role, the company will work to educate the league’s fan base about IPF,…

Cells’ attempts to limit fibroblast proliferation by lowering the levels of a protein called clusterin in lung fibroblasts of pulmonary fibrosis patients were found to be an insufficient strategy against fibrosis development in a recent study. Researchers, in fact, observed that decreasing clusterin leads to a deposition of extracellular…