Singapore, 20 February 2025—A discovery at Duke-NUS Medical School offers new hope in the battle against pulmonary fibrosis, a debilitating lung condition that progressively makes it harder for patients to breathe. Scientists have pinpointed proteins in immune cells that, when blocked, could significantly reduce lung tissue scarring.

Current treatments primarily manage symptoms and improving quality of life, without addressing the underlying cause of pulmonary fibrosis.

Although macrophages, a type of immune cell, had previously been known to contribute to inflammation and scarring in pulmonary fibrosis, the underlying mechanisms remained unclear. After discovering that two proteins in macrophages—YAP and TAZ—are involved in heart scarring, researchers from the School sought to determine whether these proteins play a similar role in the lungs and to better understand how their activity influences disease progression.

 
YAP and TAZ are part of a critical molecular pathway that usually helps cells grow and repair. However, in a preclinical model of pulmonary fibrosis, the researchers discovered that these proteins can also contribute to harmful scarring.

In their study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, the researchers found that blocking YAP and TAZ can curb scar formation and restore the immediate environment to one that encourages regeneration in three ways: Read more>>

Source: Duke-NUs Communications 
https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/newshub/media-releases/media-releases/yap-taz-pulmonary-fibrosis