Continuous Blood Filtration Shows Potential for Treating Paraquat-induced PF

Continuous hemoperfusion, a technique used to filter toxins from blood, was effective in improving the survival rates of people with acute poisoning due to paraquat, an herbicide used in lawn care. The technique may have implications for the treatment of patients with paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a…

Last week was the first of an eight-week Pulmonary Wellness Foundation (PWF) peer support group. I have been collaborating with the PWF since January to build this unique peer support group for patients with pulmonary fibrosis. It was surreal to finally launch it. Though I’ve always advocated for the…

Same But Different, a nonprofit U.K. group that uses art for social change, is inviting people to choose their favorite photographs in a calendar contest to heighten awareness of rare diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The organization’s panel of judges has pared the number of contest submissions…

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients showing a lesser decline in lung function after antifibrotic treatment, especially with Ofev (nintedanib), live significantly longer, according to a study in Japan. Such decline prior to antifibrotic therapy and changes in its rate with treatment did not predict survival outcomes, the researchers noted,…

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) Research Program and 4DMedical are offering three one-year, $50,000 grants for research into idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and asthma. “These three grants are a welcome addition to the ATS Research Program,” said MeiLan Han, MD,…

Newly raised equity financing will advance Galecto‘s clinical pipeline, which includes GB0139, a potential inhalation treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Funds raised — totaling $64 million — will be used by the company to prepare for the potential approval of GB0139 in Europe, and to support new…

People who endure a traumatic experience often divide their lives into before and after the trauma. I’ve heard this is true of those who survive a transplant in the lung disease community. Pre-transplant life is very different than post-operative life. I anticipate this will be true for me post transplant;…

A protein called TL1A drives fibrosis in diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), asthma, and systemic sclerosis by interacting with a receptor called DR3, a study reports. Disrupting this interaction might prevent the formation of fibrotic tissue. These findings are described in the study “TL1A…

Boehringer Ingelheim Canada and the University Hospital Foundation (UHF) established the Alberta Boehringer Ingelheim Interstitial Lung Disease (ABILD), a new partnership with a focus on progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease (ILD). ILDs comprise more than 200 respiratory diseases known to cause breathing difficulties. About 18% to 32% of…