NEWS RELEASE

2023.12.20

Fibrosis is involved in many diseases and disease-related deaths

Today's topic is Fibrosis.

We would like to discuss with you the importance of therapeutic treatments that target fibrosis.

Fibrosis is involved in many diseases, so even if fibrosis is not your direct target, please read on.

 

Fibrosis can occur in many different organs. It is caused by a disruption in the wound healing process due to chronic tissue damage, resulting in an excessive amount of collagen being deposited in the organ tissue. This collagen deposition can lead to scarring, sclerosis and other forms of healthy tissue destruction.

The most common causes involve excessive and chronic inflammation induced by xenobiotic substances or mechanical stress.

 

Progressive fibrosis can eventually lead to organ failure and death, and it has been reported that “Nearly 45% of all deaths in the developed world are attributable to fibrosis” (TA Wynn, J Pathol. 2008).

Some of the top leading causes of death that include fibrosis are liver cancer, such as NASH and cirrhosis (Anstee et al., Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2019), and respiratory failure, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis caused by infection and smoking (Collard et al., Am J Respir Crit Care Med . 2016).

 

In light of the fact that fibrosis is responsible for at least 45% of all deaths, it is obvious that developing treatments that specifically target fibrosis could save many lives. Considering that the remaining 55% of deaths could also be related to fibrosis, especially if inflammation is involved, the need for more treatments is clear, as they have the potential to improve the outcome of many different diseases.

 

Here at SMC, we have been conducting preclinical drug evaluation studies for over a decade with the goal of helping as many new drugs reach the market as possible.

We conduct studies in a variety of different inflammatory and fibrotic models, including our proprietary NASH model called “STAM™ model”.

 

We would be delighted to use our years of experience to provide you with a study design that will help you to successfully further your project.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like further information on any of these models or our services.