News

‘Fight Song’ Unites Families of IPF Patients in Campaign of Awareness and Understanding

Family members of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients across generations — their children and grandchildren — recently came together in London recently to sing an emotional rendition of Rachel Platten’s hit “Fight Song,” part of a global campaign (#fightsongchallenge) to promote disease awareness. The campaign encourages IPF patients and  their…

iBio Expands Development Capacity for Plant-based Fibrotic Disease Therapies

iBio, a developer of plant-based biotechnology, has announced the completion of expanded product development capacity at its subsidiary, iBio CMO, jointly owned with affiliates of Eastern Capital, for the production of pharmaceutical proteins in hydroponically-grown green plants and the large-scale manufacture of biological pharmaceutical products. iBio is…

KL4 Surfactant Treats Lung Injury and Fibrosis Caused by Radiation in Early Study

Windtree Therapeutics recently presented preclinical data supporting the potential effectiveness of its KL4 surfactant against acute and chronic lung injury and fibrosis induced by exposure to radiation. The data were presented at the 62nd Radiation Research Society (RRS) Annual Meeting, that took place in Hawaii in October. KL4 is a synthetic, peptide-containing surfactant structurally similar to the…

Chicago Bears’ Jordan Howard to Aid PF Foundation as Fundraiser and Advocate

Jordan Howard, the lead rusher for the Chicago Bears football team whose father died of pulmonary fibrosis (PF), will announced his intent to be a PF advocate and supporter of efforts to better treat and cure the disease today at the 2016 Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) Volunteer Meeting in Chicago. Howard’s father, Dr. Reginald…

Silica-Triggered Lung Fibrosis in Mice Controlled by Earthworm Extract

An extract from an earthworm reduced inflammation and fibrosis in the lungs of mice exposed to silica, acting through known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory molecular pathways. The findings suggest the extract could be explored as a potential drug therapy for silicosis. The study, “Earthworm extract attenuates silica-induced pulmonary…