loader image
Friday, November 22, 2024
58.8 F
McAllen
We Welcome your Press Release
- Advertisement -

Almost 10% of US Lung Transplants Go to COVID-19 Patients

Researchers are learning why

Translate to Spanish or other 102 languages!

Researchers from Michigan State University and Corewell Health, in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic, have made a significant breakthrough in understanding post-COVID-19 lung complications. Image for illustration purposes
Researchers from Michigan State University and Corewell Health, in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic, have made a significant breakthrough in understanding post-COVID-19 lung complications. Image for illustration purposes
- Advertisement -

By Michigan State University

Newswise — GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Researchers from Michigan State University and Corewell Health, in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic, have made a significant breakthrough in understanding post-COVID-19 lung complications. 

The study, by Xiaopeng Li of MSU, Reda Girgis of Corewell Health and Kun Li of Cleveland Clinic’s Florida Research and Innovation Center, was published in the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology and highlights the role of a gene called ATP12A in promoting lung damage and excessive mucus production following COVID-19 infection.

- Advertisement -

COVID-19 infection activates this gene in the lungs, initiating progressive lung scarring that can eventually require a lung transplant. The collaboration investigated the biology behind climbing lung transplant rates among patients with post-COVID pulmonary fibrosis. Almost 10% of all lung transplants in the United States now go to COVID-19 patients, according to data from the United Network for Organ Sharing, or UNOS.

“Understanding how and why some individuals develop severe lifelong complications is critical to developing more effective post-COVID lung damage treatment,” said Xiaopeng Li, associate professor in the MSU College of Human Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and Human Development.

Collaborating with Kun Li, Xiaopeng Li investigated ATP12A expression in lung samples from individuals undergoing lung transplantation. Clinical samples provided by Reda Girgis, medical director of Corewell Health’s lung transplant program and a professor at MSU, confirmed elevated ATP12A levels in individuals with post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis, akin to fibrosis unrelated to COVID-19.

“At Cleveland Clinic, we confirmed COVID-19 infection directly caused ATP12A levels to increase and contributed to pulmonary fibrosis,” noted Kun Li.

- Advertisement -

This discovery lays the groundwork for potential therapeutic interventions, aiming to benefit all pulmonary fibrosis patients, irrespective of their condition’s origin. The next step for the researchers is to unravel how infection elevates ATP12A levels and its contribution to pulmonary fibrosis, paving the way for improved treatments in the future.

By Geri Kelley 

Read on MSUToday

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

- Advertisement -

More Articles

Who’s Coming Up Short on Sleep?

Mega Doctor News By Michael Merschel, American Heart Association News Most adults in...

Spot Pneumonia Risk Factors Early

Mega Doctor News KEY POINTSPneumonia is an infection of the lungs.Pneumonia can...

What Are The Best Medicare Options For People Ages 65 And Over?

Medical News Today With so many options available, the best Medicare plans...

Vaping Linked to Heart Failure, Research Shows

Mega Doctor News CLEVELAND CLINIC – November 21st is the Great American Smokeout....
- Advertisement -
×