Rare variants in genes that regulate the end regions of chromosomes — called telomeres — are linked with worse survival rates after lung transplant in pulmonary fibrosis (PF) patients, a study suggests. The study, “Lung Transplant Outcomes in Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients with Telomere-Related Gene Variants” was published in the…
Before receiving my official diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), I was confident in my knowledge of it. Since it was suggested as a potential diagnosis, I spent many hours researching all facets of the disease. I was amazed by how many people were affected by IPF, yet so…
Treatment with Ofev (nintedanib) can significantly extend the survival of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), an analysis of pooled data from six clinical trials shows. The analyis, conducted by an international research team, was published in the journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research, in an article titled “…
The American Thoracic Society (ATS) Foundation and Boehringer Ingelheim have awarded a physician scientist at Northwestern University this year’s research grant in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Paul Andrew Reyfman, MD, was the recipient of the $100,000 fellowship, which will help fund his project, “Single Cell Transcriptomic…
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:…
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