Fibrosis News and Research

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Fibrosis is the growth of fibrous tissue.

FDA grants Albireo's A4250 orphan-drug designation for treatment of PFIC and PBC

Albireo AB, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in gastroenterology, today announced that A4250 (an inhibitor of the ileal bile acid transporter, IBAT/ASBT) has been granted orphan-drug designation by the U.S Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis (PFIC) and Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC).

8 Nov 2012

Researchers discover cellular pathway that causes lung-damaging inflammation in CF

Vancouver researchers have discovered the cellular pathway that causes lung-damaging inflammation in cystic fibrosis (CF), and that reducing the pathway's activity also decreases inflammation.

8 Nov 2012

Researchers sequence the DNA of 6,700 exomes of cystic fibrosis patients

A multi-institutional team of researchers has sequenced the DNA of 6,700 exomes, the portion of the genome that contains protein-coding genes, as part of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-funded Exome Sequencing Project, one of the largest medical sequencing studies ever undertaken.

7 Nov 2012

Ion AmpliSeq Community Panels from Life Technologies

Life Technologies Corporation today announced Ion AmpliSeq Community Panels, a community-driven solution to gene panel sequencing that leverages the expertise of scientific thought leaders and the Ion Community to create gene panels for conditions ranging from cancer to inherited diseases.

7 Nov 2012

Researchers show how bacteria control processes in human cells

Bacteria can talk to each other via molecules they themselves produce. The phenomenon is called quorum sensing, and is important when an infection propagates. Now, researchers at Link-ping University in Sweden are showing how bacteria control processes in human cells the same way.

6 Nov 2012

Gene silencing technology used to fight RSV and influenza

New hope has arrived for the fight against two deadly viral infections, RSV and influenza, as Griffith researchers prepare to develop a cutting-edge approach to treatment delivery.

6 Nov 2012

Inhibition of NOX4 enzyme plays an important role in liver fibrosis

Researchers at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have led a study published in PLoS One showing that the inhibition of a family member of NADPH oxidase enzyme, NOX4, plays an important role in liver fibrosis.

5 Nov 2012

Genkyotex announces positive results from GKT137831 Phase I studies on healthy subjects

Genkyotex, the leading developer of NOX inhibitors to treat oxygen-radical mediated diseases, announced today that Phase I studies have demonstrated excellent safety and tolerability following single and multiple oral doses of GKT137831, the first in class NOX 1 and 4 inhibitor. In addition, GKT137831 demonstrated a favourable pharmacokinetic profile in these subjects.

3 Nov 2012

Study shows anxiety-promoting parental behaviors affect children

Parents with social anxiety disorder are more likely than parents with other forms of anxiety to engage in behaviors that put their children at high risk for developing angst of their own, according to a small study of parent-child pairs conducted at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

3 Nov 2012

Obstructive sleep apnea common in young cystic fibrosis children

Children with stable cystic fibrosis have an increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea, which could cause sleep disruption, researchers report.

2 Nov 2012

Imatinib mesylate effectively treats children with neurofibromatosis type 1 tumors

Physician-researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine have reported the first effective therapy for a class of previously untreatable and potentially life-threatening tumors often found in children.

2 Nov 2012

Study shows reduced risk of liver-related mortality in African American women with HIV/HCV

A new study shows that African American women coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are less likely to die from liver disease than Caucasian or Hispanic women. Findings in the November issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, indicate that lower liver-related mortality in African American women was independent of other causes of death.

1 Nov 2012

FibroGen announces presentation of FG-4592 Phase 2 data on anemia at ASN Kidney Week 2012

FibroGen, Inc., today announced that two abstracts relating to FG-4592, its oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor (HIF-PHI) clinical candidate for the treatment of anemia in chronic kidney disease, have been accepted for oral and poster presentations at the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2012.

1 Nov 2012

African American women coinfected with HIV and HCV less likely to die from liver disease than Caucasian or Hispanic women

31 Oct 2012

Oxidative stress occurs in genetic models of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency

A team of researchers under the direction of Dr. Jeffrey Teckman in the Department of Pediatrics at St. Louis University, have demonstrated that oxidative stress occurs in a genetic model of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency.

30 Oct 2012

Researchers zero in on process by which stem cells maintain proper undifferentiated state

The ability of embryonic stem cells to differentiate into different types of cells with different functions is regulated and maintained by a complex series of chemical interactions, which are not well understood. Learning more about this process could prove useful for stem cell-based therapies down the road. New research from a team led by Carnegie's Yixian Zheng zeroes in on the process by which stem cells maintain their proper undifferentiated state.

29 Oct 2012

New therapy to treat rare form of cystic fibrosis works in unconventional way, scientists say

Scientists at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto have established that a drug recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat a rare form of cystic fibrosis works in an unconventional way.

29 Oct 2012

Jefferson researchers to investigate mechanisms involved in nephrogenic systemic fibrosis

Researchers at the Jefferson Institute of Molecular Medicine were awarded almost $384,000 by the National Institutes of Health to investigate the mechanisms involved in the development of a serious and sometimes fatal disease, known as Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis, a rare skin disorder linked to Gadolinium-based contrast agents used in magnetic resonance (MRI and MRA) studies.

26 Oct 2012

Antiviral therapy cuts progression to cancer in hepatitis

Antiviral therapy may prevent the most common form of liver cancer developing among patients who have hepatitis C-related fibrosis or cirrhosis, report researchers.

25 Oct 2012

Chinese herbs may show significant benefits for patients with NSCLC, IPF and influenza

Chinese herbs, including JHQG, BFXL, and BFHX, may show significant benefits for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and influenza.

22 Oct 2012