New immunotherapy shows promise in combatting fibrosis

Researchers from the University of Zurich (UZH) are developing a new form of immunotherapy aimed at treating fibrosis together with colleagues from around the world. Fibrosis is a pathological proliferation of connective tissue that most often affects the liver, lungs, heart and kidneys. It frequently occurs as a result of chronic illnesses and can lead to the total failure of the affected organ.

The special feature of the new immunotherapy developed by the researchers is that it is able to eliminate activated fibroblasts in a targeted manner, without killing off normal connective tissue cells. Existing fibrosis treatments ultimately also damage resting fibroblasts, as the UZH explains in a press release.

The researchers have now tested their compound in the form of a vaccine in murine models, i.e. mice. “With the newly developed immunotherapy, we were able to eliminate fibroblasts efficiently in mice, thus reducing fibrosis in the liver and the lungs, without affecting healthy organ tissue”, comments study leader Christian Stockmann from UZH in the press release. If a comparable immune response can also be triggered in humans, the vaccine-based immunotherapy could in future be used to offer improved treatment to patients with organ fibrosis.