Fibrosis News and Research

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Fibrosis is the growth of fibrous tissue.

Smoking increases ACE2 protein in the lungs which may promote COVID-19 infection

Previous data from COVID-19 patients suggests that cigarette smokers are more likely to have health complications.

18 May 2020

Boehringer Ingelheim partners with CDR-Life to develop antibody fragment-based therapeutics for geographic atrophy

Boehringer Ingelheim and CDR-Life today announced they have entered into a collaboration and licensing agreement to research and develop antibody fragment-based therapeutics for geographic atrophy (GA).

From Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH 15 May 2020

Genome-based monitoring of multi-resistant pathogen can help improve infection control

S. maltophilia strains occur in several natural and human associated ecosystems. The bacterium was long regarded as relatively unproblematic but is now considered to be one of the most feared hospital pathogens, as it frequently causes infections and is resistant to a number of antibiotics.

15 May 2020

ACMG: Technical standard on CFTR variant testing updated

It has been nearly two decades since the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, together with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, made the landmark recommendation that cystic fibrosis (CF) become the first target of pan-ethnic universal carrier screening, with ACMG identifying a core panel of 23 pathogenic variants to be tested.

14 May 2020

A promising treatment for chronic inflammatory liver disease

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare, chronic, inflammatory disease of the bile ducts and is difficult to treat.

14 May 2020

UCI Health to initiate clinical trial of a drug to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients

UCI Health will initiate a clinical study of a drug to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients who face a high mortality rate because of acute inflammation that fills their lungs with fluid, a grave condition that even mechanical ventilation cannot improve.

13 May 2020

Vitamin D could improve outcomes in COVID-19

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in May 2020 shows that vitamin D could have a beneficial effect on the course of illness for COVID-19 patients.

7 May 2020

Scientists receive $12-million grant to explore molecular mechanisms of heart injury and repair

Heart disease is a leading cause of death worldwide. But significant disparities exist in the incidence and severity of heart disease, particularly between men and women, and major barriers remain for the successful long-term care of heart disease patients.

5 May 2020

New antibiotic fights drug-resistant bacteria without notable toxic side-effects

Through serendipity, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health considerably reduced the toxicity of a potential antibiotic against the most feared drug-resistant bacteria, while also improving its stability in fighting infections.

4 May 2020

Using photoacoustic imaging to visualize scarring in donor kidneys before transplant

When kidney transplants first came into practice in the 1950s, patients with chronic kidney disease could finally picture freedom from the unrelenting routine of blood-cleansing dialysis treatments. Just over a half-century later, demand has completely outstripped supply.

2 May 2020

Long-lasting, low toxicity antimicrobial peptide fights 'superbug' lung infections

Researchers considerably reduced the toxicity of a potential antibiotic against the most feared drug-resistant bacteria.

1 May 2020

Exploring the use of stem cells for COVID-19 disease

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has ravaged across the, infecting more than 3.11 million people in just over four months. As the virus continues to spread, scientists are struggling to find an effective treatment for the infection. Now, a breakthrough discovery on stem cells could help in the battle against COVID-19.

28 Apr 2020

Scientists elucidate novel disease processes involved in pulmonary fibrosis development

Working alongside research groups from Heidelberg, researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have elucidated the novel disease processes involved in the development of pulmonary fibrosis.

27 Apr 2020

U.S. may have to spend hundreds of billions treating COVID-19

A new study published in the journal Health Affairs in April 2020 quantifies the financial and resource burden which could be placed on the U.S. healthcare system at varying levels of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) community spread.

23 Apr 2020

New insights into self-management plans for children with chronic conditions

With stressed hospital services, and concerns about the spread of COVID-19, experts are reminding carers of children and young people of the importance of adhering to supported chronic condition self-management plans from the safety of their home.

22 Apr 2020

New study may offer a breakthrough in treating telomere diseases

Capping decades of research, a new study may offer a breakthrough in treating dyskeratosis congenita and other so-called telomere diseases, in which cells age prematurely.

21 Apr 2020

A new, potential treatment for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis with fibrosis

In the 2020 April 21 issue of Journal of Hepatology, a research group from the Department of Hepatology in Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan reported that a new insight into the pathophysiology of human nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with fibrosis and suggested a possibility of the new therapy using cytoglobin (CYGB) inducer for clinical application.

21 Apr 2020

Are overactive immune cells causing COVID-19-related deaths?

While the COVID-19 pandemic is devastating many regions, the world over, a new paper published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine in April 2020 describes the possibility that the critical or very severe cases of COVID-19 are due to the production of neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) due to hyperactivated immune cells.

16 Apr 2020

COPD lungs inundated by abnormal stem cells, research finds

Two internationally renowned stem cell experts have found an abundance of abnormal stem cells in the lungs of patients who suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, a leading cause of death worldwide.