Regenerative Medicine and the Hope for a Cure

Current therapeutic strategies have succeeded in slowing down the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Emerging evidence highlights IPF as a disease of aging and impaired regeneration. Novel antiaging and regenerative medicine approaches hold promise to be able to reverse disease and might present hope for a cure. Research focusing on a deeper understanding of lung stem cell populations and how these are regulated and altered in fibrotic disease continues to drive the field, and accompanied by earlier diagnosis, the adaptation of clinically relevant models and readouts for regeneration of diseased lung, ultimately paves the way for translation into clinics.