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…
Most Canadians will remember where they were when they heard the news of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash on April 6, 2018. The Saskatchewan-based hockey team was traveling to a playoff game when their bus collided with a semitrailer. Of 29 people onboard, 16 died of…
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…
Several months after my lung transplant in 2015, my transplant team OK’d me to travel by air. My wife and I were in the doctor’s office and gave each other a grin. We knew then that we could go back to our special place: Maui. After careful consideration, we decided not…
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…
It is inevitable as we grow and develop throughout the years that our priorities will change. Throughout the last decade, which I believe is considered “young adulthood” for me, I have adapted mine seemingly hundreds of times. The greatest adjustment, however, came with my diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary…
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…
In my career, I am privileged to offer children and families support in some of their most vulnerable moments. These include times when children are experiencing bullying, trauma, or grief. When a child is being bullied because they are different, their parents and caregivers regularly make the comment,…
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