Organ fibrosis is a lethal outcome of autoimmune rheumatic diseases such as systemic
sclerosis. Myofibroblasts are scar-forming cells that are ultimately responsible for the …

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and terminal lung disease with no known
cure. IPF is a disease of aging, with median age of diagnosis over 65 years. Median survival …

Skin and lung fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is driven by myofibroblasts, alpha-smooth
muscle actin expressing cells. The number of myofibroblasts in SSc skin correlates with the …

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are the major cell type in blood vessels. Unlike
many other mature cell types in the adult body, VSMC do not terminally differentiate but …

Cellular senescence suppresses cancer by halting the growth of premalignant cells, yet the
accumulation of senescent cells is thought to drive age-related pathology through a …

Respiratory disease is the third leading cause of death in the industrialized world.
Consequently, the trachea, lungs, and cardiopulmonary vasculature have been the focus of …

The lung's unique extracellular matrix (ECM), while providing structural support for cells, is
critical in the regulation of developmental organogenesis, homeostasis and injury-repair …

Platelet-derived growth factors (PDGF) promotes cell proliferation, survival and migration,
primarily of cells of mesenchymal origin. Dysfunction of PDGF signaling has been observed …

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) isoforms and PDGF receptors have important
functions in the regulation of growth and survival of certain cell types during embryonal …

The respiratory system, including the peripheral lungs, large airways and trachea, is one of
the most recently evolved adaptations to terrestrial life. To support the exchange of …