Refining models of fibrotic lung disease

特发性肺纤维化（IPF）是一种肺部精细、脆弱的结构被称为纤维基质的坚硬、混凝土样物质所取代的疾病。这妨碍了肺的正常功能，例如将氧气从空气中转移到身体，以及刺激性的持续咳嗽。目前还没有任何治疗方法可以改善IPF患者的前景。然而，有许多潜在的新疗法可能对这种可怕的疾病有有益的影响。预测哪种潜在疗法可能有效需要仔细的测试，因为不可能在患有疾病的人身上测试所有的替代疗法。这项研究的目的是开发一种方法来预测哪些新疗法可能对IPF患者有效。这些信息将确保在IPF的临床试验中评估最有希望的治疗方法，这对于开发这种疾病迫切需要的新治疗方法至关重要。

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease where the fine, delicate structure of the lungs is replaced by a hard, concrete-like substance called fibrous matrix. This prevents the normal functions of the lung, such as the transfer of oxygen from the air to the body, as well as an irritating persistent cough. At the current time there are no treatments that can improve the outlook for people with IPF. There are, however, many potential new therapies that might have a beneficial effect on this terrible disease. Predicting which potential therapy might work requires careful testing, because it is not possible to test all the alternatives in people with disease. The aim of this study is to develop a way to predict which new therapies might work in people with IPF. This information will ensure the most promising therapies can be assessed in clinical trials for IPF, which will be crucial in the development of new treatments so urgently needed for this condition.