In a new study, researchers reported a novel role for a receptor at the surface of macrophages (specialized cells of the immune system) in lung fibrosis resolution. The study, titled “TRPV4 Mechanosensitive Ion Channel Regulates LPS-Stimulated Macrophage Phagocytosis,” was published in the…
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An analysis of pooled data from three Phase 3 clinical trials in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients shows that treatment with pirfenidone for one year significantly reduced disease progression. The study, titled “Pirfenidone for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: analysis of pooled data from three multinational phase 3 trials,” was published in…
In a new study, researchers demonstrated the protective effects of vitamin D in a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis induced by the chemotherapeutic drug bleomycin. The research paper, entitled “Preventive effects of vitamin D treatment on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis,” was published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports. Vitamin…
The University of Virginia Health System (UVA) recently joined the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF)’s Care Center Network, making it one of 19 new facilities chosen after careful peer review for inclusion in this signature PFF program. The PFF Care Center Network now comprises 40 medical centers with expertise in the…
In a recent study in the journal Scientific Reports, a team of researchers demonstrated the use of a new imaging modality that might detect and monitor fibrosis in the lungs of patients with pulmonary disorders and reduce the number of animals required for pulmonary research studies. The cause…
Researchers at the University of Miami (UM), led by Assistant Professor Ashutosh Agarwal, are developing functional organs able to mimic real human organs. These laboratory-developed structures, based on chips, could revolutionize approaches to disease treatment by allowing researchers to peer into organs and their related diseases. The research team used an innovative approach…
The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) recently announced that its PFF Care Center Network has added 19 new sites, almost double its previous number, and now totals 40 centers across 26 U.S. states. The Network, started in 2013, is a group of leading medical centers with specific expertise in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a…
The recently concluded Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF)’s third biennial scientific conference, Summit 2015: From Bench to Bedside, achieved a record attendance of over 700 people — from pulmonary fibrosis researchers, academics and healthcare specialists to industry front-runners and PF patients/caregivers — representing 18 countries. Attendees presented research and discussed new treatments in a collaborative setting…
A team of researchers report that a mouse’s age influences the ability of its mesenchymal stem cells to repair pulmonary fibrosis-induced damage, a finding with significant implications for stem cell therapies. The study, “Therapeutic benefits of young, but not old, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in a chronic mouse model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis,”…
Afferent Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company dedicated to therapies for neurogenic disorders, recently announced the beginning of a Phase 2 clinical trial to assess its candidate product AF-219 for the treatment of chronic cough in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Neurogenic disorders are conditions associated with the central nervous…
