The RESOLVE concept: approaching pathophysiology of fibroproliferative disease in aged individuals

After reaching adulthood, orderly repair is probably one of the most important mechanisms throughout lifetime. Regular wound healing after an injury consists of a well-ordered sequence of overlapping phases of repair and essentially repeats the complex process of organ development. Organ failure in the ageing organism frequently represents the lost capacity to achieve an orderly reactivation of organ development, yet in varying and complex pathologic settings. One of the most aggressive manifestations of age-dependent and dysbalanced wound healing is a disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Essentially, the disease replaces functional lung tissue with spreading scar tissue over a period of just 5 years. By a systematic comparison of wound healing conditions, the large-scale collaborative FP7-EU project RESOLVE has addressed these difficulties in a successful way. Background and outlining of the project are discussed.