New Potential In Lung Fibrosis Treatment With Lung Cell Transplantation

The study revealed that the progression of fibrosis in these models was linked to a reduction in host lung progenitors, which facilitated the engraftment of donor progenitors without the need for preconditioning. Interestingly, two months post-transplantation, the engrafted cells expanded and formed donor-derived patches containing AT1 and AT2 alveolar cells, as well as mesenchymal and endothelial cells. This lung chimerism not only slowed the progression of fibrosis but also improved lung function, as evidenced by histological, biochemical, and computed tomography analyses, alongside lung function measurements using the flexiVent system (as seen in Figure 1).

The implications of these findings are profound. They suggest that lung progenitor cell transplantation could be a viable treatment for patients with lung fibrosis, offering a new avenue for intervention where current therapies fall short. The ability of transplanted cells to engraft and improve lung function without additional conditioning highlights the potential for this approach to be translated into clinical practice, particularly for patients with moderate levels of fibrosis.