Pulmonary Fibrosis is a serious lung disease. It results from abnormal wound healing during ongoing injury and is characterized by the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) in and around inflamed or damaged tissue, which may impair the physiological function of the affected tissue and eventually lead to organ failure. Patients with pulmonary fibrosis generally present with progressive and relentless dyspnea. Eventually, IPF patients who were not on active treatment die from respiratory failure, often during an acute exacerbation or from the effects of another complication such as pulmonary hypertension, lung cancer, or pneumothorax. Therefore, the average life expectancy of patients with pulmonary fibrosis is three to five years after diagnosis a.
There are many potential causes of pulmonary fibrosis, such as virus infection (COVID-19, SARS virus or other virus), environmental pollutants, medicines, autoimmune diseases, etc. In addition to the above known causes of pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis of unknown cause is called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a specific form of chronic and progressive fibrosing interstitial pneumonia. IPF is the most common type of pulmonary fibrosis and serious disease. The incidence and prevalence of IPF is increasing. There are about 3 million people with IPF in the world and the number of patients is increasing rapidly.
The progression of pulmonary fibrosis is irreversible. However, so far there is no cure. The current approved chemical drugs have remained focused on slowing progression of fibrosis, maintaining comfort and, in late stages, on palliative care. The efficacy of existing chemical drugs is limited. The main aim of current treatments is to relieve symptoms as much as possible and slow down its progression. Lung transplantation may be an option. However, the risk of lung transplantation is extremely high, and the number of donors is limited. Lots of complications occur during and at any time after the operation b. Although the stem cell treatment has recently emerged as a promising therapy for human diseases including lung fibrosis, the quality of stem cells cannot be controlled. The quality of stem cells is affected by many factors such as isolation, culture methods, and donors c. Furthermore, stem cell transplant patients may face immune rejection and complications; its clinical efficacy was not significant compared with expectations. In Taiwan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) passed the amended "Regulations Governing the Application or Use of Specific Medical Techniques or Examinations, or Medical Devices". For the allowance scope of cell therapy programs, it mainly allows six areas of autologous cell therapy program while adopting strict review of allogeneic cells. It doesn’t include pulmonary fibrosis, so it is extremely difficult to apply stem cell treatment to the lung. Because cell therapy is complicated, labor-intensive, and personalized medical service, the cost of treatment is expensive. Therefore, how to treat pulmonary fibrosis has remained an important topic in clinical medicine.
There are many potential causes of pulmonary fibrosis, such as virus infection (COVID-19, SARS virus or other virus), environmental pollutants, medicines, autoimmune diseases, etc. In addition to the above known causes of pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary fibrosis of unknown cause is called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a specific form of chronic and progressive fibrosing interstitial pneumonia. IPF is the most common type of pulmonary fibrosis and serious disease. The incidence and prevalence of IPF is increasing. There are about 3 million people with IPF in the world and the number of patients is increasing rapidly.
The progression of pulmonary fibrosis is irreversible. However, so far there is no cure. The current approved chemical drugs have remained focused on slowing progression of fibrosis, maintaining comfort and, in late stages, on palliative care. The efficacy of existing chemical drugs is limited. The main aim of current treatments is to relieve symptoms as much as possible and slow down its progression. Lung transplantation may be an option. However, the risk of lung transplantation is extremely high, and the number of donors is limited. Lots of complications occur during and at any time after the operation b. Although the stem cell treatment has recently emerged as a promising therapy for human diseases including lung fibrosis, the quality of stem cells cannot be controlled. The quality of stem cells is affected by many factors such as isolation, culture methods, and donors c. Furthermore, stem cell transplant patients may face immune rejection and complications; its clinical efficacy was not significant compared with expectations. In Taiwan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) passed the amended "Regulations Governing the Application or Use of Specific Medical Techniques or Examinations, or Medical Devices". For the allowance scope of cell therapy programs, it mainly allows six areas of autologous cell therapy program while adopting strict review of allogeneic cells. It doesn’t include pulmonary fibrosis, so it is extremely difficult to apply stem cell treatment to the lung. Because cell therapy is complicated, labor-intensive, and personalized medical service, the cost of treatment is expensive. Therefore, how to treat pulmonary fibrosis has remained an important topic in clinical medicine.
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- Lancet Respir Med. 2019. 7(3): p. 271-282.
- Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Mar 9; 9:639657.