Researchers at New York’s Columbia University have developed a new way of restoring lung function by replacing airway surface cells in a scaffold containing supportive cells and blood vessels — an approach that offers promise in treating lung diseases and improving lung transplant survival rates. Their study, “Functional vascularized…
If you’re a member of the PF community, you’re well aware of how little the general public knows about the disease. It’s important that we all work together to raise awareness. Awareness results in more fundraising efforts, which means more dollars, which means more research, and eventually, hopefully, that means…
Yesterday I had a difficult experience. It began when our electricity went out as it was turning dark. We didn’t know the cause of the power outage, or how long it would be out. We later learned that a tree in the neighborhood fell down and took…
The influence of smoking on the course of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is complex, and a recent study did not manage to significantly disentangle the relationship. While smoking appeared to influence the onset of IPF, with current smokers falling ill at a younger age, the study found no impact of smoking…
Sometimes when people ask me, “What do you need” or “What can I do to help,” I feel like a broken record since my response is usually, “I don’t know.” I wish I did know what I need when I am in a poor emotional state, sobbing uncontrollably about…
According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, there are seven major airway clearance techniques (ACTs) for patients with lung disease. Airway clearance is needed to help clear away mucus from the lungs to help prevent infections and to improve lung function. Children will need an adult to assist with ACTs, and…
Research into key drivers of fibrosis will be used by a Singapore-funded biotechnology start-up, Enleofen Bio, to possibly develop first-in-class therapeutics for pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and other fibrosis-related diseases. The intellectual property that came from the work performed at two Singapore institutions, Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS) and National Heart Centre…
In this video from Demystifying Medicine, learn more about the difference between pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and hear the answers to other frequently asked questions from patients living with the disease. MORE: Top five recommended reads for pulmonary fibrosis. The animated film tackles…
The British Lung Foundation (BLF), in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has awarded £1.3 million (about $1.68 million) in grants to three lung disease experts to support research projects on finding new therapeutic targets for personalized medicine in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), bronchiectasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). “Our professorships…
Adjust, adjust, adjust… Part of living with pulmonary fibrosis is adjusting to changes that happen as our disease worsens. There is so much to adjust to that it can be overwhelming at times. Supplemental oxygen I first started using supplemental oxygen two months after I received my diagnosis.
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