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…
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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…
A vast majority of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and cystic fibrosis (CF) patients would like to have the ability to monitor their lung function at home, top-line results from PMD Healthcare’s two 2018 online patient surveys show. PMD reported that most of the PF (96 percent) and CF (93…
Boehringer Ingelheim‘s Ofev (nintedanib) preserved the lung function of nine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients waiting for a lung transplant, a study reported. The research, “Safety of nintedanib before lung transplant: an Italian case series,” appeared in the journal Respirology Case Reports. A lung transplant is…
An Australian study showed that AD-114, an investigative therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) developed by AdAlta, prevented the infiltration of immune cells and collagen build-up in lung cells from IPF patients. AD-114 also reduced fibrotic injury in a mouse model. The study, “Anti-fibrotic Effects of…
The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation’s annual Broadway Belts for PFF! fund-raiser generated a record $350,000 this year. This brought the amount raised in the event’s eight years to nearly $1.2 million. The proceeds support the foundation’s work and research seeking a cure for pulmonary fibrosis. Julie Halston, a Broadway star and comedienne,…
