A gene therapy that lengthens the life of lung cells can halt scarring and help sustain lung regeneration in a mouse model of age-related pulmonary fibrosis, a new study shows. The study, “Telomerase treatment prevents lung profibrotic pathologies associated with physiological aging,” was published in the Journal…
Gene Therapy Halts Age-related Lung Fibrosis, Mouse Study Shows
The nonprofit Three Lakes Foundation has teamed with Matter, a healthcare incubator, to launch the PF Innovation Challenge, an effort to promote better ways of diagnosing pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and caring for patients. Together, these Chicago-based groups set a total of $100,000 aside for the winning approaches. “Over the…
The first participant has been enrolled in a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating Ofev (nintedanib) in children with fibrosing interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). The Phase 3 trial, called INPEDILD (NCT04093024), is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, Ofev’s manufacturer. The trial is currently recruiting participants from 6–17 years…
I’ve been going through a second (Third? Fourth?) wave of grief for all things pre-pandemic. I am still mourning things that once brought me joy but are currently off-limits — rugby, concerts, being a wedding photographer, and date night out, to name a few things. I’m still hurting…
Treatment has commenced in a Phase 2 clinical trial investigating the safety and effectiveness of NP-120 (ifenprodil), Algernon Pharmaceuticals‘ experimental treatment for chronic cough associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). IPF patients often experience a persistent, hard-to-treat cough, which affects…
During a video call with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) advocates last week, I was informed that the U.S. Eastern Seaboard faced some terrible weather. Severe thunderstorms left many without power for days. While this is inconvenient, a prolonged loss of power can be detrimental to the health of those requiring…
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of a rare disease film festival originally slated for May, its organizers set out to find a new way to bring the films to an audience. Co-founders Daniel DeFabio and Bo Bigelow, who are both fathers of children with…
Veracyte’s Envisia Genomic Classifier can aid in the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and distinguish it from other interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) without the need for invasive, expensive, and risky surgical procedures, real-world data confirm. These findings were presented in two posters at the American Thoracic…
Ofev (nintedanib) helped more patients with progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) avoid a decline in lung function greater than 10% over the course of a year compared with those given a placebo, according to a new analysis of the Phase 3 INBUILD trial. A separate analysis…
Note: This story was updated Aug. 11, 2020, to correct the name of the factor involved in fibrosis to TGF-alpha rather than TNF-alpha. Barasertib, AstraZeneca’s investigational inhibitor of the AURKB protein, eased the activation of fibroblasts and lessened lung scarring in two mouse models of idiopathic pulmonary…
