Wide access to potential molecular drug targets to treat pulmonary fibrosis is now possible, as researchers have mapped the complete set of genes active in individual lung cells from patients with idiopathic lung fibrosis and from healthy people. The analysis, called single-cell RNA sequencing, also made it possible to single out several…
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Jordan Howard, the lead rusher for the Chicago Bears, is now auctioning his game-day Dec. 4 cleats in the NFL’s inaugural My Cause, My Cleats campaign to support the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) and the pulmonary fibrosis (PF) community. The auction is open until Dec. 18, and the public can bid on…
Although previously limited to the pulmonary system, new research suggests that acute exacerbations in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) also involve multiple organ systems. Moreover, two genes, scavenger receptor A (SRA) and TNF-α, are thought to play a role in mediating this systemic tissue damage. Acute exacerbations is the all-encompassing term…
Promedior, a biotechnology company that focuses on anti-tissue-scarring therapies, has lined up the patients it needs for two Phase 2 studies of PRM-151, an anti-scarring agent it is evaluating for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and myelofibrosis. “We believe attaining these (patient) enrollment milestones speaks to both the…
Differences in the expression of small RNAs, called microRNAs, which may be useful for identifying patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) at risk of an acute flare. The study, “Plasma microRNAs are associated with acute exacerbation in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,” was published in the journal Diagnostic Pathology. An acute IPF…
The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s cystic fibrosis (CF) research center has chosen a Dutch company’s advanced X-ray CAT-scan system to help it conduct animal research in CF, pulmonary fibrosis (PF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and sinonasal conditions. Utrecht-based MILabs’ U-CTUHR microCT system will provide researchers at the University…
Treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients with the anti-IPF drug Esbriet (pirfenidone) before and after lung surgery could be protective against acute exacerbation, or worsening of IPF, a life-threatening complication associated with lung-cancer surgery.
Global Blood Therapeutics has enrolled its first patient in the ZEPHYR Phase 2a clinical study assessing the safety and effectiveness of GBT440 in treating hypoxemia (low levels of oxygen in the blood) in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who are on supplemental oxygen at rest. GBT440 is an…
Blocking a particular pathway — called c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) — may reduce lung remodeling and fibrosis, researchers said in a multi-part study reporting the effects of a JNK inhibitor in a mouse model and, subsequently, in a clinical trial involving patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The study, “JNK inhibition reduces lung…
A higher fat-free mass index — a measure that takes a person’s muscle mass into account — predicts better survival in patients with pulmonary fibrosis, while body mass index (BMI) does not, according to a new study. Although researchers could not explain how body composition impacts disease progression, the findings may provide another…
