A new subset of stem cells was found to expand quickly after lung injury and to specifically restore the tissues of air sacs, called alveoli, according to a study published in the journal Nature.
This finding can represent a new therapeutic option for treatments targeting pulmonary conditions such as COPD.
The study was led by researchers at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). It is titled “Regeneration of the lung alveolus by an evolutionarily conserved epithelial progenitor.”
