Latest news with #ILD
Time of India
7 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital launches clinic for respiratory diseases
Mumbai: Quaternary care hospital Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital has launched a Lung Disease Clinic focused on the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of respiratory conditions, including rare lung disorders and cases requiring lung transplants. According to the hospital, the centre combines diagnostics, interventional pulmonology, and transplant care within a single facility. The hospital states that the new clinic is intended to address respiratory illnesses by offering specialized services for conditions such as: Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)End-stage COPD and emphysemaSevere, treatment-resistant asthmaOccupational and environmental lung disordersProgressive lung failure requiring ventilatory or ECMO support Bronchoscopy, cryotherapy, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)-guided biopsies, and airway stenting are the services provided in the facility. It also offers rehabilitation, oxygen therapy, and lifestyle support. A multidisciplinary team of specialists in cardiology, rheumatology, infectious disease, and critical care will ensure coordinated care. The clinic's lung transplant program includes pre-transplant evaluation, high-risk case management, surgical care, immunosuppressive therapy, and long-term monitoring.
Medscape
26-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Primary Care Can Address Complex Lung Diseases, Too
Primary care physicians (PCPs) often face challenges in diagnosing complex pulmonary issues in patients, particularly when nonspecific symptoms appear similar to cardiovascular issues, asthma, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, clinicians can cover both pulmonary and cardiovascular concerns during an exam, potentially shortening delays in the diagnosis of interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), including pulmonary fibrosis (PF). Tejaswini Kulkarni, MD 'ILDs are complex, chronic progressive diseases with a great impact on a patient's quality of life and survival. These are often underdiagnosed, or there is significant delay in diagnosis after onset of symptoms due to a multitude of reasons,' said Tejaswini Kulkarni, MD, associate professor of pulmonary, allergy, and critical care medicine and director of the interstitial lung disease program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama. 'Early intervention can slow disease progression, improve quality of life, and potentially extend survival in ILD patients,' she said. 'For primary care physicians, increased awareness of the signs and symptoms of ILD and early recognition are crucial.' Timely Diagnosis Tools Although most PCPs try to evaluate the root causes of nonspecific symptoms, about 2 in 5 tend to bypass symptom evaluation if the patient is already on inhaled therapy for a pulmonary condition, according to a survey by the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST). Instead, they often modulate therapy — for what may be an incorrect diagnosis. William Lago, MD 'As a practicing primary care physician, it doesn't surprise me that PF and ILD are generally misdiagnosed or experience delays in diagnosis. These diseases are on the rare side, so when a patient comes to their PCP, that doctor first will opt to rule out heart issues that can quickly end a life,' said William Lago, MD, a family medicine physician with the Cleveland Clinic-Wooster Family Health Center in Wooster, Ohio. 'That said, lung diseases like PF are incredibly difficult to live with and can progress rapidly if untreated,' he said. 'An earlier diagnosis means starting treatments to slow fibrosing of the lungs, and with slowed disease progression, a patient's quality of life is often improved.' In general, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is considered the gold standard for imaging when it comes to detecting ILD. However, only 62% of PCPs said they order HRCT when a patient's chest radiograph shows lower lobe opacity, and only half said they order it when a patient has inspiratory crackles or other abnormalities during a pulmonary exam, according to the CHEST survey. In response, CHEST and the Three Lakes Foundation sponsored a clinician toolkit, which was created by PCPs and pulmonologists to help clinicians better identify, manage, and treat ILDs. The toolkit includes a patient questionnaire, a decision-making module with patient case studies, an online module with in-depth ILD symptoms and sounds of crackles, and videos of radiologic features of ILDs. The project, called Bridging Specialties: Timely Diagnosis for ILD, also includes white papers and podcast episodes on overcoming barriers to diagnosis. 'In working on this initiative with my pulmonary colleagues, I'm already finding myself thinking more about PF and ILDs as potential diagnoses when seeing patients,' said Lago, who served on the Bridging Specialties expert steering committee. 'Between the patient questionnaire, the decision-making module, and the other resources in the clinician toolkit, I can see this having an incredible impact on how we diagnose patients.' This teamwork approach can help PCPs improve diagnosis rates alongside other specialists, said Kulkarni, who also served on the Bridging Specialties committee. 'Many patients present with vague or nonspecific symptoms, and ILDs can mimic other, more common respiratory disorders or coronary artery diseases, along with shared features of older age and history of smoking,' she said. 'The differential diagnosis is complex and often requires a multidisciplinary team of pulmonologists, rheumatologists, radiologists, and pathologists to identify the subtype of ILD.' Other medical societies have created informational resources as well, including the American Thoracic Society's ILD and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) resources and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation's webinars and clinical resources. Jeffrey Horowitz, MD 'My top advice is to go to reputable sources. I've had one patient ask me about drinking hydrogen peroxide to treat their condition, which they read on a forum online. Others have asked about stem cell therapy in other countries, which isn't regulated and can do real harm,' said Jeffrey Horowitz, MD, professor of medicine and division director of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 'Overall, I tell clinicians that if somebody is short of breath, has crackles, and has a normal echocardiogram, it's probably not the heart, so do those pulmonary function studies early,' he said. 'Since most nonpulmonologists don't have substantial expertise in this area, it's a good idea to have patients evaluated at an academic medical center with expertise in ILD, which also opens the doors for patients to be enrolled in clinical trials.' Ongoing Research and Treatments Ohio State, for instance, recently joined the IPF-PRO/ILD-PRO Registry, an industry-academic collaborative started by Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, in 2014 to maintain a registry of patients for potential therapies and clinical trials. 'There can be a sense of nihilism regarding this entire spectrum of fibrotic lung disease, which wouldn't be without merit if we were talking about 20 years ago,' Horowitz said. 'Today, there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic as we're making gains and improving care for these patients.' Numerous clinical trials are underway, including positive phase 3 results for FIBRONEER-IPF from Boehringer Ingelheim. The trial found that nerandomilast, an oral form of a phosphodiesterase 4B inhibitor, improved forced vital capacity (FVC) at 52 weeks, as compared with placebo. The drug hasn't yet been approved for use, but full efficacy and safety data are expected sometime in 2025. In addition, United Therapeutics offers inhaled forms of treprostinil, which was initially approved to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension, as well as pulmonary hypertension associated with ILD. New data indicate the medication could also benefit patients with IPF who don't have pulmonary hypertension, Horowitz said. The ongoing trial is enrolling patients across the United States. Other ongoing studies include lysophosphatidic acid, a bioactive lipid mediator that can affect lung inflammation and fibrosis, and bexotegrast, a dual selective inhibitor of α v ß 6 and α v ß 1 integrins developed to treat IPF. Although Pliant Therapeutics announced the discontinuation of a phase 2b trial in March, early data showed efficacy for improved FVC. 'I'm optimistic that the next breakthrough is just around the corner,' Horowitz said. 'After 15 years of doing high-quality, informative studies, we're now opening the doors for new therapeutic targets, and as long as we keep doing trials, we're going to make a breakthrough that's going to transform care for these patients.' Horowitz and colleagues are also studying the cellular matrix and cell death of fibroblasts, including the way lung cells interact with other cells in an aberrant wound repair response, ultimately leading to lung scarring. The latest research is focused on enhancing cell susceptibility to apoptosis, or cell death, and decreasing disease progression. 'These lung diseases are heterogeneous, just like cancer. So viewed through the lens of cancer biology, different patients with their own fibrotic diseases have underlying mechanisms that drive the disease process,' Horowitz said. 'We're pursuing the idea that, if we can target the metabolic pathways that cells use, it might be beneficial for developing therapeutics.' Additional developments are occurring in diagnosis and patient care as well, particularly with a focus on genetic testing and coordinated care across specialists. 'The landscape of ILD treatment is evolving with the introduction of new pharmacological agents, advanced diagnostic techniques, and improved interdisciplinary care models and offers a brighter outlook for patients and healthcare providers,' Kulkarni said. 'Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, as our understanding of disease pathogenesis continues to grow, the integration of precision medicine and genetic insights has the potential to make patient-centered, individualized care a reality.' Kulkarni, Lago, and Horowitz reported receiving grants, consulting fees, and serving in advisory roles for numerous pharmaceutical and medical organizations.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Lung transplant patient treks to life's peak
Vadodara: Just a year ago, , a stockbroker, could barely take a few steps or complete a sentence. He was battling , a serious lung condition triggered by prolonged exposure to bird droppings. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But today, the 48-year-old has not only trekked up Chotila mountain in Surendranagar but also hiked up the Pavagadh hill near Vadodara, both accomplished within a year of undergoing a life-saving surgery. "My family and friends advised me against it, worried about the risks of putting my body through such physical stress so soon after the transplant," Anam told TOI. "Doctors had cautioned me to avoid even crowded places. But I was determined. I had confidence that I could scale the mountain." In the first week of April, Anam, accompanied by his wife and twin sons Priyansh and Pranshu, set out to climb Chotila. "I climbed slowly, as the path has hundreds of stairs, but I made it to the top, to the temple located at around 1,200 ft. It truly felt like a rebirth. A few days later, I trekked a stretch at Pavagadh too," said Anam, who is now preparing for a trek in the mountains of Uttarakhand. Anam's struggle began back in 2015, when he developed a persistent cough. Doctors initially suspected an allergy and prescribed medications. But by 2020, the coughing had worsened. He consulted Dr Neel Thakkar, a senior pulmonary and critical care specialist in Vadodara. Following a series of tests, Anam was diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonitis, a lung condition commonly caused by exposure to bird droppings, especially pigeons. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Forced to seek advanced care, Anam moved to Pune, where Dr Sandeep Attawar performed the lung transplant that saved his life. "It's all about self-belief and discipline. I didn't let negative thoughts enter my mind. I followed a strict post-surgery routine including regular physiotherapy, a controlled diet, and complete mental focus," Amit Anam said. Finances posed another hurdle. Anam couldn't afford the expensive surgery. It was the generosity of his friends — who raised the required funds through crowdfunding — that made the transplant possible. "To see someone who once struggled to breathe climbing a mountain within a year of surgery is nothing short of remarkable," said Dr Thakkar. "Most patients wouldn't even attempt such physical strain post-transplant. But Anam's spirit was indomitable." Dr Thakkar also highlighted the broader health implications. "According to the Indian Interstitial Lung Diseases Registry, over 47.3% of new ILD cases in India are due to hypersensitivity pneumonitis, with common triggers including bird droppings, cooling appliances, and visible mould," he noted.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pliant Therapeutics Presents Clinical and Preclinical Data at the American Thoracic Society International Conference
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLRX) today announced that the Company led oral and poster presentations of clinical and preclinical data this week as part of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2025 International Conference, held from May 16-21, 2025. Characterizing the Antifibrotic Activity of Bexotegrast on Distinct Fibroblast Populations in PCLS from Multiple ILD SubtypesIn a featured oral presentation, Johanna Schaub, Ph.D., Director of Translational Sciences at Pliant Therapeutics, discussed an evaluation of the antifibrotic activity of bexotegrast in fibrotic human precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) generated from non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) interstitial lung disease (ILD) patient lung explants. Results showed that bexotegrast, a dual inhibitor of αVβ6/αVβ1 integrins, reduced expression of genes related to TGF-β signaling and fibrogenesis in alveolar type 1 (AT1) cells and multiple fibroblast subpopulations. Plasma Proteome Analysis Reveals Shared and Unique Biomarkers of ILD SubtypesIn a poster presentation, Erine Budi, Ph.D., Senior Scientist II Translational Biology at Pliant Therapeutics, reviewed a comparative analysis assessing circulating plasma biomarkers of ILD in healthy subjects and patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), rheumatoid arthritis-ILD (RA-ILD), and scleroderma associated-ILD (SSc-ILD). Results identified biomarkers consistently dysregulated across multiple ILD subtypes that could assist in informing clinical decision making in ILD. Single-Cell Profiling Demonstrates the Antifibrotic Effects of Bexotegrast on Pathologic Lung Cell Populations in the Presence and Absence of Background TherapyIn a poster presentation, Mahru An, Ph.D., Director of Translational Sciences at Pliant Therapeutics, reviewed a single-nuclei RNAseq analysis of fibrotic human precision-cut lung slices comparing the pharmacodynamic effects of bexotegrast, a dual inhibitor of αVβ6 and αVβ1 integrins, alone, or in combination with nintedanib. Results showed that treatment with bexotegrast or nintedanib displayed distinct cell-specific pharmacodynamic profiles. In addition, bexotegrast alone, or in the presence of nintedanib, significantly reduced the expression of type I collagen and other profibrotic genes in aberrant basaloid cells (αVβ6-expressing) and fibroblasts (αVβ1-expressing), while treatment with nintedanib alone did not. The presentation and posters presented at the 2025 ATS Conference are available by accessing the links above or on Pliant's website under the Publications section at About Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. Pliant Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company and leader in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of fibrotic diseases. Pliant's lead product candidate, bexotegrast (PLN-74809), is an oral, small molecule, dual selective inhibitor of αvß6 and αvß1 integrins that is undergoing evaluation for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF. Bexotegrast has received Fast Track Designation and Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Orphan Drug Designation from the European Medicines Agency in IPF. Pliant is conducting a Phase 1 study for PLN-101095, a small molecule, dual-selective inhibitor of αvß8 and αvß1 integrins, that is being developed for the treatment of solid tumors. In addition, Pliant has received regulatory clearance for the conduct of a Phase 1 study of PLN-101325, a monoclonal antibody agonist of integrin α7β1 targeting muscular dystrophies. For additional information, please visit: Follow us on social media X, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Investor and Media Contact: Christopher KeenanVice President, Investor Relations and Corporate CommunicationsPliant Therapeutics,
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pliant Therapeutics Presents Clinical and Preclinical Data at the American Thoracic Society International Conference
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLRX) today announced that the Company led oral and poster presentations of clinical and preclinical data this week as part of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2025 International Conference, held from May 16-21, 2025. Characterizing the Antifibrotic Activity of Bexotegrast on Distinct Fibroblast Populations in PCLS from Multiple ILD SubtypesIn a featured oral presentation, Johanna Schaub, Ph.D., Director of Translational Sciences at Pliant Therapeutics, discussed an evaluation of the antifibrotic activity of bexotegrast in fibrotic human precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) generated from non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) interstitial lung disease (ILD) patient lung explants. Results showed that bexotegrast, a dual inhibitor of αVβ6/αVβ1 integrins, reduced expression of genes related to TGF-β signaling and fibrogenesis in alveolar type 1 (AT1) cells and multiple fibroblast subpopulations. Plasma Proteome Analysis Reveals Shared and Unique Biomarkers of ILD SubtypesIn a poster presentation, Erine Budi, Ph.D., Senior Scientist II Translational Biology at Pliant Therapeutics, reviewed a comparative analysis assessing circulating plasma biomarkers of ILD in healthy subjects and patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), rheumatoid arthritis-ILD (RA-ILD), and scleroderma associated-ILD (SSc-ILD). Results identified biomarkers consistently dysregulated across multiple ILD subtypes that could assist in informing clinical decision making in ILD. Single-Cell Profiling Demonstrates the Antifibrotic Effects of Bexotegrast on Pathologic Lung Cell Populations in the Presence and Absence of Background TherapyIn a poster presentation, Mahru An, Ph.D., Director of Translational Sciences at Pliant Therapeutics, reviewed a single-nuclei RNAseq analysis of fibrotic human precision-cut lung slices comparing the pharmacodynamic effects of bexotegrast, a dual inhibitor of αVβ6 and αVβ1 integrins, alone, or in combination with nintedanib. Results showed that treatment with bexotegrast or nintedanib displayed distinct cell-specific pharmacodynamic profiles. In addition, bexotegrast alone, or in the presence of nintedanib, significantly reduced the expression of type I collagen and other profibrotic genes in aberrant basaloid cells (αVβ6-expressing) and fibroblasts (αVβ1-expressing), while treatment with nintedanib alone did not. The presentation and posters presented at the 2025 ATS Conference are available by accessing the links above or on Pliant's website under the Publications section at About Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. Pliant Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company and leader in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of fibrotic diseases. Pliant's lead product candidate, bexotegrast (PLN-74809), is an oral, small molecule, dual selective inhibitor of αvß6 and αvß1 integrins that is undergoing evaluation for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF. Bexotegrast has received Fast Track Designation and Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Orphan Drug Designation from the European Medicines Agency in IPF. Pliant is conducting a Phase 1 study for PLN-101095, a small molecule, dual-selective inhibitor of αvß8 and αvß1 integrins, that is being developed for the treatment of solid tumors. In addition, Pliant has received regulatory clearance for the conduct of a Phase 1 study of PLN-101325, a monoclonal antibody agonist of integrin α7β1 targeting muscular dystrophies. For additional information, please visit: Follow us on social media X, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Investor and Media Contact: Christopher KeenanVice President, Investor Relations and Corporate CommunicationsPliant Therapeutics, in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
