Coughing and shortness of breath are main symptoms and complications of a condition called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a subcategory of pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease that causes scarring of the lungs which makes breathing difficult. IPF has no known cause and no current available cure, although some treatment options exist to ease…
Simple Facts of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Coughing and shortness of breath are the main symptoms and complications of a condition called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a subcategory of pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic and typically progressive scarring lung disease. Some patients live many years with this disease, while some may have a shorter life with it.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has awarded Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) an $11 million project renewal grant to investigate the genetics and biological processes that contribute to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). IPF has been a focus of study for Dr. Timothy Blackwell, a professor at the Ralph…
DS Biopharma, a privately held Dublin-based company with a proprietary bioactive lipid technology platform, has launched Afimmune, a spin-off focused on approaches to treating fibrosis and fibrotic conditions. These includenon-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and atopic dermatitis, as well as other inflammatory and pulmonary disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and…
Metformin, a first line medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, reduces inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis in mice, suggests a study published in the Journal of Korean Medical Science.
Researchers at the Chinese Nanjing University School of Medicine in China discovered yet another microRNA that contributes to the development of lung fibrosis. MicroRNA are small molecules known to control gene activity. The study, “MiR-338* suppresses fibrotic pathogenesis in pulmonary fibrosis through targeting LPA1,” published in the…
Childhood cancer survivors are at an increased risk of developing lung fibrosis for up to 25 years after their initial cancer diagnosis, analyses of data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study show. The report, “Risk and impact of pulmonary complications in survivors of childhood cancer: A report from the Childhood…
Certain distinctive genetic differences or variations, including in genes involved in mucus production, were found to be significantly predominant in European populations of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to the study, “Association Study for 26 Candidate Loci in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients from Four European Populations” published in…
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have identified a new gene that, when mutated, increases the risk for pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema by reducing the activity of telomerase, the enzyme that maintains the protective caps, or telomeres, on chromosomes. The study, “Loss-of-function mutations in the RNA biogenesis factor…
Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a respiratory disease that causes the lung tissue to become thick and stiff. Over time, it turns into scar tissue which is known as fibrosis. Because of the disease, the lungs lose their ability to properly function making it hard to transport oxygen into the…
