Scott Matson, MD

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive scarring lung disease that leads to significant morbidity and poor survival. There are treatments for pulmonary fibrosis, however they only slow lung function decline. Patients often are diagnosed only after they have advanced disease, when the benefit of treatment is limited. Understanding molecular changes in patients with pulmonary fibrosis before they start showing symptoms is critical to improving outcomes. Early forms of pulmonary fibrosis are identified on screening computed tomography (CT) scans of the chest. They are associated with worse survival and progression to pulmonary fibrosis with symptoms. We plan to study more than 7,000 subjects to study metabolomic changes that are associated with these CT scan patterns. Our goal is to identify important markers and pathways associated with pulmonary fibrosis risk.

Dalsemer Interstitial Lung Disease Award

Update: We have completed initial analyses of data from patients in two large studies focused on COPD, revealing promising metabolic pathways associated with early disease development. We have now begun analyzing data from patients in two other studies and secured 500 additional serum samples from patients with established pulmonary fibrosis. This work aims to identify early disease biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets, ultimately enabling earlier intervention and improved outcomes for patients with this devastating condition.