Role of Immune and Inflammatory Cells in Pulmonary Fibrosis
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2025 | Viewed by 36
Special Issue Editor
Interests: pulmonary immunology; immunopharmacology of pulmonary diseases; pulmonary inflammation; pulmonary fibrosis; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF); fibrosis resolution and repair in lung diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Pulmonary fibrosis (PF), particularly idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), is a progressive and fatal lung disease characterized by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, which leads to scarring and impaired lung function. Immune and inflammatory cells play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of PF, driving both injury and repair processes. Over the last five years, significant progress has been made in understanding the role of immune and inflammatory cells in pulmonary fibrosis. Recent advancements in pulmonary immunology and precision medicine, including single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), spatial transcriptomics, immune cell engineering, and cell therapy, have greatly enhanced our understanding of the disease in both humans (IPF) and animal models of pulmonary fibrosis, thereby opening up new avenues for treatment. These advances in immunology have provided unprecedented insights into disease mechanisms and led to the identification of novel therapeutic targets. We welcome research and review articles that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Immune and Inflammatory Cells in Pulmonary Fibrosis: Macrophages, T cells, neutrophils, eosinophils, fibroblasts, and myofibroblasts;
- Immunology of Lung Mucosa in Pulmonary Fibrosis: Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), tissue-resident memory T cells (TRMs), and alveolar epithelial cells (AECs);
- Cellular Therapy Using Immune Cells in Pulmonary Fibrosis: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), regulatory T cells (Tregs), and macrophage reprogramming;
- Precision Medicine in Pulmonary Fibrosis: Integration of scRNA-seq and spatial transcriptomic data;
- Cellular Engineering in Pulmonary Fibrosis: Engineered immune cells, such as CAR-T cells targeting fibrotic pathways.
Dr. Remo C. Russo
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)
- pulmonary immunology
- precision medicine
- single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq)
- spatial transcriptomics sequencing
- animal model of pulmonary fibrosis
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