Spanish scientists have created a spin-off company to develop the first treatment for lung fibrosis based on gene therapy.
Pulmonary fibrosis – a condition in which the lungs become scarred and it’s difficult to breathe - is linked with the presence of critically short telomeres – the cap ends of chromosomes which give them protection.
Following the successful research in mice, highlighted earlier this year by EARA, a team from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) will develop a telomerase gene therapy to treat this age-related disease.
“This is the first time that the treatment of these diseases will be approached from a deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms of ageing,” said Maria Blasco, Director of the CNIO.