Emphysema reversed in the lungs of mice

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-07-22 00:01

International

What does this mean?

Jump to: MultimediaAttachmentsExpert Reaction

It is possible to reverse emphysema in mice, according to international researchers, who say they have also identified a gene that may be a driver of emphysema. Emphysema is a lung disease associated with long-term cigarette smoking, and the team was able to inject mice who suffered this condition with endothelial cells (cells that normally come from blood cells) and found that this regenerated and repaired the damaged tissues in the lungs of the mice. The team were also able to identify that a rise in the amount of a protein known as Leucine-rich α-2-glycoprotein-1 (LRG1) in the lungs appeared to be contributing to the development of emphysema, and by suppressing the gene that produces LRG1, they helped protect the mice against emphysema.