Certain immune cells called natural killer (NK) T-cells are present at higher numbers in the lungs of people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) than in the lungs of healthy people, according to data announced by GRI Bio. Also, the more NK T-cells, the greater the number of macrophages,…
Immune NK T-cells may be therapeutic target for IPF
My mother passed away in the final hours of Thanksgiving Day three years ago. Just a week before that, I lost my stepsister, too. Understandably, it was a time of deep loss for me. At the time, COVID-19 was spreading at an alarming rate, so, like many others, I…
The first patient has been enrolled in a Phase 3 clinical trial of nebulized Tyvaso (treprostinil) inhalation solution for treating progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF), according to United Therapeutics, the therapy’s developer. Called TETON PPF (NCT05943535), the study will evaluate how safe Tyvaso is versus a placebo…
Grief is one of the more complex emotions we experience. In my practice as a therapist, I regularly support people who are grieving, and I have a variety of therapeutic ways to respond to someone who is processing loss. The most common strategy is to validate grief’s myriad effects on…
Veterans Day is approaching on Nov. 11, and most of us know someone who served in the military. For this column, I’d like to honor someone who left behind some promising words of the highest degree. During a recent conversation, the person I was chatting with brought up my…
Early last week, the temperature here at Lake Anna, Virginia, was in the mid-80s, which was uncharacteristic for an October afternoon. By the end of the week, the highs were barely above 50 F, and frost would greet the morning sun. I started each day with a sense of awe…
The pharmaceutical company Humanetics will use a federal grant to fund a series of studies aimed at advancing the development of BIO 300 for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) — for one, testing the treatment candidate for its effectiveness in easing lung scarring, or fibrosis. BIO 300 is thought to…
Today is traditionally a day for trick-or-treating, haunted houses, pumpkin patches, hay rides, and of course, pumpkin “chunkin’”. I have always enjoyed Halloween, the scariest day of the year for many. I mentioned last week that my wife, Susan, and I host a Halloween costume party each year. Costumed partygoers and…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted breakthrough therapy designation to BMS-986278, Bristol Myers Squibb’s investigational therapy for progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PF). Breakthrough therapy designation is intended to expedite the development and review of medicines for serious or life-threatening diseases. The decision is based on preliminary…
The pulmonary fibrosis (PF) community is not a stranger to stress. Regardless of your role, whether as a patient, caregiver, or transplant recipient, you’ve likely experienced it. The stress could be white coat syndrome or come from a test, procedure, or the many unknowns associated with living…
