Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Trials 2023

What Are Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Trials?

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis is a severe and progressive medical condition. In this condition, the lungs get scarred, making breathing difficult. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis triggers the growth of scarred tissue inside the lungs. The thick, scarred tissue slows the flow of oxygen from the lungs to the blood, making it harder for the patient to breathe. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) symptoms include swelling of the legs, appetite loss, chest pain, dry and hacking cough, muscle ache, and shortness of breath.

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis clinical trials study ways to manage symptoms and slow the condition from worsening. These trials are needed to understand the effectiveness of drugs and therapies against the condition.

Why Is Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Being Studied Through Clinical Trials?

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis is a chronic disease of the lungs. The global prevalence of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis is thirteen to twenty per 100,000 individuals. Each year nearly 30,000 new cases of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis are diagnosed. 

The underlying cause of IPF is still unknown, one of the many reasons for it to be studied through clinical trials. Researchers want to discover the condition's exact cause to develop possible treatments. At present, neither the cause nor any treatments for IPF.

Researchers suggest that factors that may increase the chances of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis are age, breathing metal or wood dust, genetics, acid reflux disease, and smoking.

What Are The Types of Treatments Available For Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis?

Many ongoing studies are available on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. However, some clinical researchers have made breakthrough discoveries in alleviating Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in patients. For example, a study by BMC Pulmonary Medicine showed that high-flow nasal cannula therapy (HFNC) improves oxygenation. It revealed that compared to standard oxygen tolerance, HFNC was more efficient in increasing exercise tolerance in patients with IPF.

Another study showed that using the Nintedanib drug can significantly lower IPF disease progression in patients. The drug has antifibrotic properties and serves as an inhibitor. Moreover, it showed that Nintedanib is effective and well-tolerated in patients with mild to severe IPF.

What Are Some Recent Breakthrough Clinical Trials For Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis?

2021: New Molecular Target for IPF- This study identified a new molecular protein, MDMM 4. This study found plenty of evidence showing that targeting MDM4 can lower lung fibrosis significantly. The study is a breakthrough as it can lead to proper treatments of IPF that don't exist currently.

2023: Cancer Drug Counters Pulmonary Fibrosis- The study was conducted using a computational approach. It linked saracatinib, a drug developed for cancer, to counter IPF. In this clinical trial, the drug validates the IPF efficacy in several systems using in-vivo, ex-vivo, and in-vitro models. Human cell lines were exposed to 32 drugs, and it found saracatinib had the best results in reversing the disease signature of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Who Are Some Of The Key Opinion Leaders / Researchers / Institutions Conducting Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Trial Research?

Professor Louise Wain is the respiratory research professor. Her paper was published in Journal LRM (The Lancet Respiratory Medicine), along with other researchers, where they discovered how DNA changes affect AKAP13 protein production in the lungs. AKAP13 promotes fibrosis.

Professor Stuart Cook is the Cardiovascular Genetics and Genomics group head at the NHLI (National Heart and Lung Institute) and the faculty of medicine at ICS (Institute of Clinical Sciences). He has also performed research work to see how drugs lower lung damage and reverse scars formed.