Disruptions in the circadian rhythms in lung cells may explain why adults who survived premature birth are often more at risk of severe influenza infections, suggests a new study. Source
Paper addresses research needed to understand smoking and COVID-19
A new paper discusses how smoking may affect risk for COVID-19 and the types of research that are needed to better understand the link between smoking and COVID-19 risk. Source
New vaccine needed for serious childhood pneumonia
A rise in vaccine-resistant bacteria shows the need for a new vaccine to fight childhood empyema after a spike in hospitalisations, a new study reveals. Source
How reducing body temperature could help a tenth of all ICU patients
A new study reveals how lower temperatures improve the activity of surfactant, a molecular mixture that is essential for breathing. This indicates that therapeutic hypothermia is a potential treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome, which affects a tenth of all intensive care unit patients. Source
Sophisticated lung-on-chip created
Researchers have developed a second-generation lung-on-chip model with life-size dimension alveoli in a stretchable membrane, made of purely biological material. The new model reproduces key aspects of the lung tissue architecture not found in previous lungs-on-chip. This opens up new possibilities for basic pneumological research, understanding lung pathologies, drug screening and precision medicine. Source
Using Artificial Intelligence to prevent harm caused by immunotherapy
Until recently, researchers and oncologists had placed lung cancer patients into two broad categories: those who would benefit from immunotherapy, and those who likely would not. Now, researchers, using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze simple tissue scans, say they have discovered biomarkers that could tell doctors which lung cancer patients might actually get worse from immunotherapy. Source
New combination of immunotherapies shows great promise for treating lung cancer
Researchers have established in lab settings that a novel combination of two forms of immunotherapy can be highly effective for treating lung cancer, which causes more deaths than any other form of cancer. Source
Study defines small-cell lung cancer subtypes and distinct therapeutic vulnerabilities for each type
Researchers have developed the first comprehensive framework to classify small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) into four unique subtypes, based on gene expression, and have identified potential therapeutic targets for each type in a study. Source
Scientists discover link between nicotine and breast cancer metastasis
Scientists have found that nicotine promotes the spread of breast cancer cells into the lungs. Source
Study finds COVID-19 attack on brain, not lungs, triggers severe disease in mice
Researchers have found that infecting the nasal passages of mice with the virus that causes COVID-19 led to a rapid, escalating attack on the brain that triggered severe illness, even after the lungs were successfully clearing themselves of the virus. Source