Type 1 Invariant Natural Killer T Cells Drive Lung Fibrosis

Congratulations to UCD School of Medicine’s Professor Adam Byrne and all the team including UCD colleagues, Faye Murphy, Dr Julie Worrell, Associate Professor Cormac McCarthy and research collaborators from Imperial College London, GRI Bio, California, and University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, PCCSM, Los Angeles, California, on their recently published research on (opens in a new window)Type 1 Invariant Natural Killer T Cells Drive Lung Fibrosis in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Recent studies have identified invariant natural killer (iNKT) cells as critical drivers of fibrosis in several tissues. However, the role of iNKT cells during idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, (IPF) a devastating disease with no cure, is not known. In this paper, using samples collected via bronchoscopy from the lungs of IPF patients and murine models of disease, the team explored this question. They found that numbers of iNKT cells are increased in IPF airways and that these cells are highly activated. Targeting iNKT cells in a preclinical model, ameliorated the disease. These data highlight iNKT cells as a potential therapeutic target during IPF. 

Read the full paper (opens in a new window)here.