Michael J. Podolsky, MD

Research Project:
How can the Extracellular Matrix be Degraded in Pulmonary Fibrosis?

Grant Awarded:

Innovation Award

Research Topics:

basic biologic mechanisms
modeling

Research Diseases:

interstitial lung disease
pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a lung disease that causes progressive scarring in the lungs, eventually leading to respiratory failure and death. We will generate new knowledge around how scarring can be reversed at a cellular level. We will focus on the extracellular matrix (ECM), the complex network of proteins that provides structural support for cells and tissues. Excess ECM accumulation in tissues is the defining feature of pulmonary fibrosis. Excess ECM occurs because of the imbalance between ECM production and degradation. ECM degradation is impaired in pulmonary fibrosis, but the way in which this happens is not well understood. We will use human cells and tissues to better understand this process, and how it can be reversed. Understanding how lung scarring can be reversed could lead to new drug therapies to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and improve the lives of patients.

Innovation Award, applied under the Hastings Award

Page last updated: November 22, 2024

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