Investigation Of The Cellular And Molecular Mechanisms That Drive Airway Remodeling, A Key Pathological Phenotype Of Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Chronic respiratory diseases affect over 545 million people worldwide and often lead to severe illness, high death rates, and have limited treatment options. Conditions like severe asthma (SA), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and interstitial lung disease (ILD)-including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)-are among the leading causes of respiratory-related deaths. While these diseases have different symptoms, they share common risk factors such as smoking, pollution, and infections. They also involve similar lung changes, including inflammation, scarring (fibrosis), and structural damage.

Although inflammation in these diseases is well understood, the process of airway remodeling-where the lung's structure changes, leading to breathing difficulties-is still unclear. This remodeling includes changes to airway cells, thickening of airway muscles, changes in the blood vessels, and alterations in the lung's supporting framework, all of which reduce lung function.

Currently, no effective treatments specifically target airway remodeling, making it a critical area of research. By using advanced techniques to study lung tissue at a microscopic level, scientists aim to uncover how different cells interact and contribute to these structural changes. A key focus is on how fibroblasts (cells that produce connective tissue) and immune cells work together to drive lung remodeling. Understanding these interactions could lead to new treatments for chronic respiratory diseases.