Scientists from Japan have found that blood levels of the surfactant protein SP-D could be a good biomarker for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, since it leaks into the blood more easily than another similar surfactant protein, called SP-A. The study appeared in the journal BioMedCentral Pulmonary Medicine on December…
Surfactant SP-D Could Be a Good Blood Biomarker for Pulmonary Fibrosis
The Canadian Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation has listed a series of clinical trials on their website that are currently enrolling patients in Canada suffering from pulmonary fibrosis, all in a bid to increase participation in trials that could lead to the next major drug discovery for the disease. The Foundation maintains…
In a new study entitled “Perivascular Gli1+ Progenitors Are Key Contributors to Injury-Induced Organ Fibrosis” a team of researchers identified a new key factor for the formation of fibrotic tissue. The study was published in the journal Cell Stem Cell. The findings could eventually lead to new…
Scientists in Iran have found that the lipid-lowering agent atorvastatin may reduce pulmonary injury and fibrosis caused by paraquat–a poison that is toxic to the nervous system. The article was published in the December issue of Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin. Pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by thick, scarred lung tissue,…
Boehringer Ingelheim recently announced European Union (EU) approval of nintedanib (brand name OFEV®) for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) treatment. The committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency issued a positive opinion, which means that the treatment can now be marketed, sold, and used…
Special cells may dump fat into the lungs of people with pulmonary fibrosis, filling airspaces. Scientists at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia found that decreasing the accumulation of lung fat could help reduce problems associated with this disease. Pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by scarred, thick tissue within the lungs.
The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation has just published November’s schedule of ongoing fundraising events. With 10 different programs for getting involved to choose from this month, it should be easy to find something right up your alley, and help support research and development efforts for pulmonary fibrosis, as…
As the drug development community continues to invest into pulmonary fibrosis research, new insights are improving both diagnostic and prognostic tools for improving treatment of the disease. Recently, Pacific Therapeutics Ltd. scientists reported in a study entitled “Familial and sporadic idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis:making the diagnosis from peripheral blood”…
Pattern of alveolar oxygen exchange units on the surface of a mouse lung. Credit: Dr. Shou Ping Guan A recent study led by Professors Frank McKeon, Ph.D., and Wa Xian, Ph.D. from The Jackson Laboratory focused on a novel lung regeneration concept and how certain lung stem…
A new study on acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AE-IPF) entitled “Autopsy analyses in acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis” was published in Respiratory Research by Keishi Oda, part of Dr. Hiroshi Mukae’s group from the Department of Respiratory Medicine at University of Occupational and…
