This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) under the Environmental Health (CFDA 93.113) federal grant program will provide $527,300 in funding to the Regents of the University of Michigan to conduct research on the mechanisms of impaired epithelial regeneration and fibrosis after silica dust inhalation. The project aims to investigate why transitional alveolar epithelial cells lose the capacity to differentiate into alveolar type 1 cells in silicosis and asbestosis, leading to non-resolving pulmonary fibrosis. Key research activities will include defining distinct subsets of transitional cells, performing lineage tracing, and elucidating signaling pathways that prevent alveolar type 1 cell differentiation and activate fibroblasts. The research will examine lung tissue from silicosis and asbestosis patients to confirm the disease relevance of the findings. This work is intended to fill a critical gap in understanding the pathogenesis of silica and asbestos-induced fibrosis, which is a necessary step towards developing novel therapies for these progressive and debilitating lung diseases.
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