Researchers at UVA Health are working on a new way to identify people who are at risk of developing a serious lung condition known as interstitial lung disease (ILD).
This condition, which causes inflammation and scarring in the lungs, is becoming more common and is one of the main reasons people need lung transplants. The new approach could lead to better treatments with fewer side effects.
Dr. John S. Kim, from UVA Health’s Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, is leading a team that has already found biological markers in the blood—called biomarkers—that can help predict how long people with ILD are likely to survive. Now, the team is going further.
They want to find out whether these biomarkers can detect ILD before it even starts. Their goal is to use this information to understand how the disease begins and progresses, and to create treatments that can stop it from developing in the first place.
“Often, by the time ILD is diagnosed, the lungs are already badly damaged,” Dr. Kim said. “This damage can’t be reversed, and it limits how well treatments work. If we can find people at risk earlier, we may be able to stop the disease before it starts.”
ILD includes a group of chronic lung conditions that lead to stiff, scarred lung tissue, making it hard to breathe. The most common form is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which has no known cause.
While some types of ILD progress slowly, others are life-threatening. Sadly, there is no cure for ILD, and one-third of all lung transplants are performed on ILD patients.
Some drugs can slow down IPF, but they often come with side effects like liver problems and digestive issues, including nausea and diarrhea. Many patients cannot tolerate these drugs, which is why better treatment options are urgently needed.
Recently, Kim and his team published research in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. They found several protein biomarkers in blood plasma that were linked to the early stages of ILD.
Interestingly, these proteins were also found in high amounts in the lung tissue of people with ILD. This discovery could lead to more effective early detection and treatment strategies.
The researchers hope that by identifying these biomarkers, doctors will one day be able to find people who are at risk for ILD even before they show symptoms. These individuals could then be invited to join clinical trials to test new treatments that aim to prevent ILD altogether.
Dr. Kim explained, “We want to find blood biomarkers that not only tell us who is likely to get ILD, but also how long they might live once they have it. These biomarkers could be used along with tools like lung scans and genetic testing to better predict risk and personalize care.”
In short, this research could lead to life-saving changes in how ILD is diagnosed and treated. By catching the disease early or even preventing it, doctors may be able to protect patients from severe lung damage and reduce the need for lung transplants in the future.
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The study is published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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