An international team of researchers led by Georgia State University (GSU) scientists has found a key component in the pathological process of pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal disease for which there is currently no cure. The scientists found that a key human gene, CLYD, serves as a crucial negative regulator in the development of the disease, halting its progression that leads to death. The research was published online on April 10, 2012 in the journal Nature Communications. "In some patients, CLYD does not function as it should or its protein level is lower than in normal individuals," said Dr. Jian-Dong Li, director of the GSU Center for Inflammation, Immunity, and Infection (CIII) and Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Eminent Scholar in Inflammation and Immunity. "If this does happen, the human tissue-repairing response can go out of control, leading to the development of fibrosis," added Dr. Li, senior author of the study and professor of biology at GSU. According to the American Lung Association, about 140,000 Americans have been diagnosed with the disease. Patients' breathing symptoms worsen over time, and many patients live only three to five years after diagnosis. There are currently no effective medicines available to health care professionals to cure pulmonary fibrosis. Professionals can treat the symptoms to reduce inflammation using steroids and immunosuppressants, but there are serious side effects over time, including immune system suppression, which makes patients even more susceptible to infections. "The disease often develops after infection or injury. In the case of infections brought on by Streptococcus pneumoniae, a form of pneumonia, the body's immune system responds and tries to repair the damage, but in the case of fibrosis, this repairing process is overactive and causes scarring of the lungs," said Dr.Login Or Register To Read Full Story