A Chinese herbal remedy prevented healthy airway surface cells from transitioning to the type of cells seen in pulmonary fibrosis, a study reported. It did this by inhibiting the body’s production of proteins involved in fibrosis, or scarring, including HMGB1, TLR-4, and HIF-1α. The results prompted researchers to suggest that the remedy,…
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The McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University has received a $10 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) for its part in a project that aims to uncover the genetics behind several lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, in…
French researchers have identified 41 gene mutations in lung cancers associated with pulmonary fibrosis, a discovery that could lead to new therapy targets for both diseases. The findings applied to both non-idiopathic and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Non-idiopathic cases are those that doctors have found a cause for, while Idiopathic cases…
Supplemental oxygen during exercise can improve pulmonary fibrosis patients’ breathing and workout capabilities, according to a report in the journal Respirology. A key feature of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is higher levels of damaging oxygen oxidants, or substances that oxidize other substances. These compounds trigger tissue scarring known as…
Former New York Yankees baseball player Bernie Williams joined the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) recently as they lobbied members of Congress to raise awareness about the impact idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has on patients and families. “My father passed away from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and I’m eager to raise awareness of the…
Australia’s national registry of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) includes patients of diverse ages, disease severity and co-morbidities, and shows that baseline lung function and GAP (gender, age, physiology) stage are important prognostic markers for mortality. The study, “Baseline characteristics of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: analysis from the…
New York Yankees legend Bernie Williams is collaborating with Boehringer Ingelheim to raise awareness of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a disease that took the life of his father, Barnabé Williams, in 2001. Williams will participate in the Sin Aliento campaign on Father’s Day, June 18, to encourage those who may have IPF to…
Pulmatrix, which develops inhaled therapies for lung diseases, has licensed the kinase inhibitor compounds that RespiVert has created to inhibit enzymes involved in inflammation. “These new compounds will significantly expand what we believe is already an impressive pipeline of [Pulmatrix’s] drug candidates,” Dr. Robert Clarke, Pulmatrix’s CEO, said in a…
An arm of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is donating equipment that allows for animal-free testing of the effects of inhaled particles on the lungs to select laboratories across the United States and Europe. Valued at more than $400,000, the Vitrocell Systems inhalation device exposes human lung cells to tested materials…
Esbriet (pirfenidone) stops the lung scarring in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) by improving the functioning of mitochondria, cell components that convert food to energy and regulate cell death, according to a study. The therapy centers on mitophagy, the process by which the body purges defective mitochondria. Mitophagy is a mitochondria quality…
