Pulmonary Fibrosis Scar Tissue Inside Lungs
Breathing problems have been associated with coronavirus disease since the earliest days of the pandemic. Now we know that severe progression of COVID-19 is frequently accompanied by respiratory failure, and some doctors are concerned that critically ill COVID-19 patients may develop a form of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) after a long stay in the ICU.
A recent study estimated that idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF, which is just one form of PF, affects one out of 200 adults over the age of 60 in the United States. Factor in the suspicion that critically ill COVID-19 patients may develop a form of PF and that number could be on the rise.
Breathing Is Fundamental. The hallmark of PF is scar tissue that forms inside the lungs. The condition is often irreversible and can eventually cause lung failure and death. Scientists are searching for better PF treatments, and new research from the University of Michigan Department of Biomedical Engineering recently took an important step in that direction. The timing couldn’t be better, given the connection between PF and COVID-19.
While researchers previously found drugs that relieve symptoms or slow the progression of PF, they haven’t been able to reliably replicate those results in conventional two-dimensional lab models. Because of that, they don’t understand how or why those drugs are working, and they can’t always predict which compounds will make a difference.
Forward Thinking. The new research moves the process forward and demonstrates how prior approaches have been ineffective. The researchers developed a 3D model of fibrotic lung tissue that enables them to confirm drug efficacy. The team showed that in some 2D models drugs that are already known to be effective do not produce test results that show efficacy, whereas their 3D engineered model of fibrotic lung tissue shows that those drugs work.
Potential New Drugs. The 2D models often do a poor job of recreating what happens in the human body, whereas recreating the 3D structure of the area of the lung where fibrosis begins enabled them to identify effective drugs. The researchers say the 3D model could help provide opportunities for scientists to identify potential new PF drugs.
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