Our research group won a four-year ‘OTKA’ grant for thematic research project founded by National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH), entitled ‘New therapeutic opportunities in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis’. Overall, 177 new projects were selected for support from 613 proposals.
Previously, we studied extensively the protective role of Parkinson’s disease 7 (PARK7) protein in the pathomechanism of various inflammatory diseases associated with chronic tissue remodeling. In the next few years, we will continue our work focusing on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Pathomechanism of IPF is not completely understood, and therefore, there is no effective therapy yet. PARK7 has numerous functions, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, which make it a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of IPF. Our objective is to investigate the relationship between PARK7 and pulmonary fibrosis using biological samples from IPF patients and comprehensive in vitro and in vivo models. We aim to clarify the diagnostical and therapeutic potential of PARK7.