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Myth 1: If you can’t run with the big dogs, stay on the porch.  Truth: In the words of the late great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “if you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you…

Pliant Therapeutics has successfully completed a Phase 1 clinical study assessing its investigational therapy PLN-74809 for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), with results supporting further clinical development of the compound. PLN-74809 is an oral small molecule that selectively inhibits integrins (signaling receptors) called αVβ6 and αVβ1. Results from earlier preclinical…

High levels of the protein vimentin in the lung tissue of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) contribute to disease progression, an early study’s results show. Inhibiting vimentin can prevent fibroblasts — the cells responsible for the production and buildup of scar tissue (fibrosis) — from invading the lungs and producing…

Blood levels of immune cells called monocytes may help predict disease severity and determine the risk of poor outcomes in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other fibrotic diseases, a retrospective study suggests. The study, “Increased monocyte count as a cellular biomarker for poor outcomes in fibrotic diseases:…

Although patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who take Ofev (nintedanib) or Esbriet (pirfenidone) have similar clinical outcomes, adherence to treatment is higher among those who have secondary insurance coverage, especially from charitable organizations, a study finds. The study, “Retrospective Analysis of Medication Utilization and Clinical Outcomes in…

Envisia Genomic Classifier — a non-invasive diagnostic test developed by Veracyte and used as a complement to high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) imaging — improves diagnosis of interstitial lung disease (ILD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) compared with HRCT alone, according to a recent study. The findings were published…

Quantification of so-called honeycombing areas (patches of cystic spaces) in the lungs seen through high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) may be a predictor of mortality in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to a retrospective analysis. The study, “Quantitative CT analysis of honeycombing area predicts mortality in…

The quality of life of people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is strongly associated with clinical changes in lung function, comorbidities, disease duration, and overall clinical course of the disease, a study shows. The study, “The clinical course of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and its association to quality…

Two federal grants totaling $6.1 million were awarded to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) to investigate the molecular origin of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), as well as of other forms of pulmonary fibrosis (PF). The first is a $3.5-million five-year…

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) has opened a new registration cycle for medical centers that wish to join the Foundation’s Care Center Network, with the mission of improving the healthcare quality for people with pulmonary fibrosis (PF). The PFF started the Care Center Network together with the PF…