Stem cell therapy for lung fibrosis conditions
n the journal Respiratory Research , the scientists demonstrated that they could harvest lung stem cells from people using a relatively non-invasive, doctor's-office technique. They were then able to multiply the harvested lung cells in the lab to yield enough cells sufficient for human therapy. In a second study, published in the journal S tem Cells Translational Medicine , the team showed that in rodents they could use the same type of lung cell to successfully treat a model of IPF -- a chronic, irreversible, and ultimately fatal disease characterized by a progressive decline in lung function. The researchers have been in discussions with the FDA and are preparing an application for an initial clinical trial in patients with IPF. "This is the first time anyone has generated potentially therapeutic lung stem cells from minimally invasive biopsy specimens," said co-senior author of both papers Jason Lobo, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at UNC and medic...