Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis News and Research

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Pulmonary fibrosi is a condition in which tissue deep in your lungs becomes thick and stiff, or scarred, over time. The development of the scarred tissue is called fibrosis. As the lung tissue becomes thicker, your lungs lose their ability to move oxygen into your bloodstream. As a result, your brain and other organs don't get the oxygen they need.

In some cases, doctors can find out what's causing the fibrosis. But in most cases, they can't find a cause. They call these cases idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a serious condition. About 200,000 Americans have it. About 50,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. IPF mostly affects people who are 50 to 75 years of age. IPF varies from person to person. In some people, the lung tissue quickly becomes thick and stiff. In others, the process is much slower. In some people, the condition stays the same for years. IPF has no cure yet. Many people live only about 3 to 5 years after diagnosis. The most common cause of death related to IPF is respiratory failure.

Research reveals 2 key mechanisms of oxidative stress regulation

Regulation of oxidative stress is critical to cell survival. New preclinical research from Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) has revealed two key mechanisms by which oxidative stress is regulated in normal and cancerous cells.

7 Mar 2014

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis could soon be diagnosed without the need for surgical lung biopsy

People who have suspected idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis without typical patterns on high resolution computed tomography scans could in future be spared the substantial risks of lung biopsy and be given a confident diagnosis of IPF based on clinical and radiological findings alone, according to new research published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

20 Feb 2014

Cedars-Sinai research team receives grant to develop treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

A Cedars-Sinai research team led by Paul W. Noble, MD, chair of the Department of Medicine and director of the Women's Guild Lung Institute, has been awarded $628,816 by California's stem cell agency to develop a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a deadly disease that destroys the lungs and damages other vital organs.

7 Feb 2014

Boehringer Ingelheim, DCRI partner to uncover insights into idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Duke Clinical Research Institute have formed a unique collaborative relationship to uncover insights into idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and fatal lung disease.

31 Jan 2014

Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation selects UofL for newly established Care Center Network

The University of Louisville is one of nine pilot sites selected by the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation for its newly established Care Center Network and the PFF Patient Registry program. Rafael Perez, M.D., director of the UofL Interstitial Lung Disease program in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Disorders Medicine, will lead the UofL site.

17 Jan 2014

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and herpesvirus saimiri: an interview with Elazar Rabbani, Chief Executive Officer of Enzo

Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition where fibrotic or scarred tissue progressively develops in the lungs. In some cases the particular cause is known but in others it remains unknown and is given the term “idiopathic”.

14 Jan 2014

FibroGen starts patient enrollment in FG-3019 Phase 2 study for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis treatment

FibroGen, Inc., announced today that patient enrollment has started in a new Phase 2 clinical study of FG-3019 in patients who suffer from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

20 Dec 2013

ATS Foundation, American Lung Association to co-fund $80,000 grant to support HPS research

The American Thoracic Society Foundation and the American Lung Association announced today that they are co-funding an $80,000 grant that will support important research into the mechanisms underlying Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome, a rare inherited disease which affects a number of organs including the lungs.

19 Dec 2013

UCD Conway Institute researchers identify potential biomarker of idiopathic pulmonary ﬁbrosis

Researchers in UCD Conway Institute have identified a potential biomarker of rapidly progressive pulmonary fibrosis and pinpointed a defective molecular function as a potential therapeutic target.

18 Dec 2013

6MWT wording change could enhance serial utility

Researchers have found that the distance patients cover during the 6-minute walk test depends on the instructions they are given, indicating that changing the current protocol may enhance the accuracy and reproducibility of the test.

13 Dec 2013

Scientists transform human stem cells into functional lung and airway cells

For the first time, scientists have succeeded in transforming human stem cells into functional lung and airway cells. The advance, reported by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, has significant potential for modeling lung disease, screening drugs, studying human lung development, and, ultimately, generating lung tissue for transplantation.

2 Dec 2013

FibroGen presents China-based Phase 2 study data of roxadustat for treatment of CKD patients

FibroGen, Inc. (FibroGen), today announced that data from a China-based Phase 2 study of roxadustat (FG-4592), a first-in-class oral compound in late stage development for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD), were presented in an oral session at the 2013 American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week in Atlanta, Georgia.

13 Nov 2013

Findings demonstrate potential new therapeutic approach to treat fibrotic diseases

A team of scientists that includes Saint Louis University researchers has identified a new way to intervene in the molecular and cellular cascade that causes fibrosis - a condition where the body's natural process of forming scars for wound healing goes into overdrive and causes diseases.

11 Nov 2013

Genkyotex announces initiation of GKT137831 Phase II study in patients with diabetic nephropathy

Genkyotex, the leading developer of selective NOX enzyme inhibitors, announced today the initiation of a multinational Phase II clinical study of GKT137831 in patients with diabetic nephropathy.

5 Nov 2013

Researchers discover link between NOX4 enzyme and osteoporosis

Genkyotex, the leading developer of NOX enzyme inhibitors, announced today that a group of collaborators have discovered a link between the enzyme NOX4 and development of osteoporosis.

21 Oct 2013

Promedior starts Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate PRM-151 in patients with myelofibrosis

Promedior, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel biologic therapeutics for the treatment of fibrosis, announced today that it has initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate PRM-151, its lead product candidate, in patients with myelofibrosis.

10 Oct 2013

IPF World Week underlines the need for integrated approach towards idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

This year's IPF World Week (September 21-29) sees healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, people living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), who have an estimated median survival time of two to five years, and their families calling for an integrated approach to further strengthen the national and international network of people working to support patients with this fatal orphan lung disease.

20 Sep 2013

Improved lung function in patients with moderate asthma severity observed with investigational Tiotropium

Boehringer Ingelheim will present a pooled analysis of new data from the Phase 3 UniTinA-asthma® program at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Annual Congress 2013 in Barcelona. The data from the individual MezzoTinA-asthma® Phase 3 studies (NCT01340209 and NCT00565266), from which the pooled data are derived, show the addition of tiotropium delivered via the Respimat® inhaler to medium-dose maintenance inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy (defined as 400-800 µg budesonide/day or equivalent) improved lung function and provided sustained bronchodilation over 24 hours in patients with moderate asthma and airflow limitation. Tiotropium is being investigated to determine the medicine’s efficacy in treating asthma patients and is not currently approved for this indication.

11 Sep 2013

Patients with COPD show improvements in lung function with olodaterol

Data from the olodaterol Phase 3 clinical program, presented for the first time at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Annual Congress 2013 in Barcelona, showed the addition of olodaterol 5 and 10 µg delivered once daily via the Respimat® inhaler provided improvements in lung function in patients with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

10 Sep 2013

Miniscule signaling molecule plays critical role in certain acute and chronic diseases

Scientists seeking to harness the healing power of a miniscule signaling molecule that plays a critical role in certain acute and chronic diseases have been awarded a Program Project Grant (PPG) of nearly $10 million by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

1 Aug 2013