Overview

• A peer-reviewed Nature Materials study published September 5 details a Penn, University of Michigan and Drexel collaboration on early mechanics of pulmonary fibrosis.
• Researchers used photochemical cross-linking with blue light to create localized extracellular matrix stiffening in intact mouse and human lung tissue.
• Tissue stiffness changes were quantified in real time with a nanoindenter, providing precise measurements within native, living samples.
• Epithelial cells stretched and entered stalled transitional states after localized stiffening, and the authors propose a mechanical feedback loop that could accelerate fibrosis.
• Findings come from controlled ex vivo experiments with therapeutic applications untested; the team plans to study macrophages, fibroblasts and neutrophils as well as other organs, a priority given that current drugs only slow disease.