Latest fibrosis Stories

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine report that they have identified the molecular pathway through which physical force contributes to scarring in mice. "Our study exposes one of the fundamental mechanisms by which the mechanical environment can directly increase inflammation, which is strongly implicated in scarring," said Geoffrey Gurtner, MD, professor and associate chair of surgery. Mice genetically engineered to lack an enzyme that is activated by mechanical...

Researchers have found the first evidence that some athletes who take part in extreme endurance exercise such as marathons, endurance triathlons, alpine cycling or ultra triathlons may incur damage to the right ventricles of their hearts – one of the four chambers in the heart involved in pumping blood around the body. The research, published online today (Wednesday) in the European Heart Journal, found that although the damage was reversed within a week of a competitive event in most of...

CHICAGO, Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation's (PFF) inaugural conference on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), IPF Summit 2011: From Bench to Bedside, was recently held in Chicago. The event brought together medical professionals, patients, and caregivers for an innovative two-day meeting. Gregory P. Cosgrove, MD, IPF Summit 2011 Faculty Member and PFF Medical Advisory Board Member commented on the importance of the event: "The Summit...

Tracking individual cells within the lungs as they move around and multiply has given Duke University researchers new insights into the causes of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) a disease which can only be treated now by lung transplantation. IPF fills the delicate gas exchange region of the lung with scar tissue, progressively restricting breathing. The Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered that some commonly held ideas about the origins of the scar-forming...

(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Hope for better lungs! According to a recent study, the oral medication ivacaftor provides major, sustained improvement in lung function, growth and other signs and symptoms for cystic fibrosis patients. The study marks the first time a drug has been shown to work on the disease process rather than on the symptoms. Cystic fibrosis, which has no cure, is the most common lethal genetic disease in Caucasians. "Ivacaftor represents a significant advancement in the...

LA JOLLA, Calif., Nov. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Regulus Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company leading the discovery and development of innovative medicines targeting microRNAs, today announced presentations on its preclinical programs for the treatment of fibrosis at the American Association of Nephrology "Kidney Week" Annual Meeting held Nov. 8-13, 2011, in Philadelphia. New data will be presented demonstrating that microRNA-21 (miR-21) is upregulated in human patients and animal...

First Potential Drug to Treat Underlying Cause of Fatal Disease under Review by FDA BETHESDA, Md., Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the first time, a drug that's designed to treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis, Kalydeco(TM) (ivacaftor), is under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for possible approval in 2012. This milestone comes as the largest international gathering of cystic fibrosis experts kicks off in Anaheim, Calif., Nov. 3 - 5, 2011. Kalydeco...

NIH stops one treatment arm of trial; Other two treatments to continue The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, has stopped one arm of a three arm multi-center, clinical trial studying treatments for the lung-scarring disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) for safety concerns. The trial found that people with IPF receiving a currently used triple-drug therapy consisting of prednisone, azathioprine, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) had...

New Awards Totaling $200,000 to be Offered in 2012; Deadline for Letters of Intent is November 17, 2011 CHICAGO, Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) announced today that it has established the PFF Research Fund to Cure Pulmonary Fibrosis, a fund created to support research that will assist in the development of successful therapies for pulmonary fibrosis (PF). PF is a progressive and ultimately fatal lung disease that affects more than 200,000...

Diagnostic tool for distinguishing intestinal inflammation from fibrosis could allow doctors to deliver efficient, timely treatment It's difficult for doctors to tell whether a patient with Crohn's disease has intestinal fibrosis, which requires surgery, or inflammation, which can be treated with medicine. A new imaging method might make that task easier, according to a U-M-led study. Ultrasound elasticity imaging, or UEI, could allow doctors to noninvasively make the distinction...