Senisca wins grant to advance development of IPF treatments

Innovate UK has awarded biotechnology company Senisca £571,350 (about $712,000) to develop oligonucleotide treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The UK-based company is working on innovative biologic treatments that use oligonucleotides — short strands of RNA or DNA — to reverse senescence in IPF-specific tissues. Senescence, which…

I regularly pick up and read my journal from the early days after my diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). I’ve shared some of those thoughts in earlier columns. The entries aren’t that different from other people’s journals, and some are intimate thoughts intended only for me. The…

The first participant has been dosed in a clinical trial testing the experimental anti-fibrotic therapy BBT-877 in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The milestone was announced by BBT-877’s developer Bridge Biotherapeutics, which initiated the trial late last year. “The first patient dosing of BBT-877 marks an…

Dealing with the financial expenses associated with having a rare or chronic illness like pulmonary fibrosis (PF) can be tough. I’m responsible for making sure that I receive all the PF treatments available to me, but I’ve discovered that they come with a hefty price tag. Among the…

American comedian Bill Engvall is known for his punchline “Here’s your sign,” which he’d often say in response to an outrageously obvious question. I recently experienced two “here’s your sign” moments of my own after wondering if I’d contracted the virus that causes COVID-19. On Monday, April 3, I…

One-year of high-dose AP01, Avalyn Pharma’s inhaled pirfenidone solution, slowed lung function decline in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). That’s according to top-line data from the ongoing open-label extension AP01-005 study (2020-005103-39) that’s testing a 100 mg high dose of AP01, administered twice daily. The results align…

By the end of this month, the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) is hoping to bump up patient and caregiver enrollment — by at least 500 people — in its pulmonary fibrosis (PF) community registry. April is PFF Community Registry Recruitment Month, and the foundation is trying to…

This week, while my husband, Jonny, and I sat at home in isolation after our tests for COVID-19 were positive, I struggled to feel joy. My friend sent me a video of someone singing a popular emo anthem while holding a wet strawberry — its soggy leaves pasted to…

ZEPHYRUS-2, the second Phase 3 clinical trial testing the experimental therapy pamrevlumab in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), has finished recruiting patients, according to its developer FibroGen. “We are pleased to announce the completion of enrollment for our second Phase 3 study of pamrevlumab in IPF,” Mark…

A recurring topic of discussion among the rare disease community is whether people would consider donating an organ. I’ve heard varied comments, such as “No one would want any of my organs,” “My only good organ is my transplanted one, and it cannot be reused,” and “I don’t want to…