Since the start of the pandemic, levels of stress, frustration, and confusion have risen to troubling levels. It seems that many of us also are experiencing more concern over new, rapidly spreading coronavirus variants. When I first heard about the variants, I broke down and cried. I felt defeated…
A new lung-on-a-chip recreates complex lung structures using a patient’s own cells, providing a more precise model for studying disorders such as pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a study reported. This second-generation model is expected to give researchers with a powerful new way to conduct basic lung research, and a faster,…
The American Lung Association (ALA) gave a Catalyst Award, worth $100,000 over two years, to a scientist whose study will address the regeneration of damaged lung tissue. Ya-Wen Chen, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine and stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at the University Southern California (USC), will…
Galapagos and Gilead Sciences have suspended the worldwide ISABELA Phase 3 program investigating the potential of oral ziritaxestat (GLPG1690) to treat people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The decision to halt the program, which includes two identical Phase 3 trials — ISABELA 1 (NCT03711162) and ISABELA 2…
Last month we moved into our new home in Hawaii. My husband, Jonny, flew back to the mainland immediately for several months of Army training, so I was left to get settled on my own. I started tearing through all the boxes and piles of things to make the place…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the investigational new drug (IND) application for ImmunoMet Therapeutics‘ treatment candidate for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), IM156. The decision grants ImmunoMet permission to open studies of the therapy in people in the U.S. “FDA clearance of an IND for…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted and granted priority review to an application for Esbriet (pirfenidone) as a treatment for unclassifiable interstitial lung disease (UILD). The supplemental new drug application was submitted by Genentech, Esbriet’s developer and a member of the Roche Group, based on…
At a recent hospital appointment, I was asked to complete a survey about my experience. As a patient with a chronic illness, I am at the hospital a lot and am regularly asked to complete surveys. While they sometimes seem time-consuming and redundant, I know they are the hospital’s way…
“Did you wash your hands?” That’s a question I was very familiar with long before the COVID-19 pandemic. My mom, Diana, is an obsessive hand-washer. She is also obsessive about making sure everyone else does it. She’ll merely sense my dad’s craving for…
Scores of virtual events are afoot around the world to mark Rare Disease Day 2021 on Feb. 28. The activities are focused on heightening awareness about rare diseases and the hundreds of millions of individuals they are thought to affect. Patients, caregivers, and advocates worldwide will sport denim ribbons and…
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