# Novel anti-fibrotic therapy for IPF

> **NIH NIH R43** · LARIX BIOSCIENCE, LLC · 2020 · $224,924

## Abstract

Novel anti-fibrotic therapy for IPF
Abstract
 Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by myofibroblast accumulation, deposition of extracellular
matrix (ECM) (including collagen and fibronectin), and progressive diffuse fibrosis in the lung interstitium.
Inappropriate proliferation of fibroblasts and transformation to myofibroblasts from mesenchymal progenitor cells
(MPC) play key roles in disease pathology. Although the molecular mechanisms that underlie this idiopathic
disease have been obscure, recent studies implicate S100A4 as a critical autocrine-paracrine mediator of MPC
self-renewal. S100A4 is both necessary and sufficient for MPCs to worsen fibrosis, making this member of the
small EF-hand motif Ca2+-binding proteins a promising disease-modifying target (Xia, 2017). Recent work
confirms this contention (Li, 2018). Based on these studies, during this Phase 1 project, we will generate a panel
of high-affinity human monoclonal antibodies (humAbs) that block S100A4 signaling. The panel will be rank-
ordered using novel in vitro assays followed by evaluation of the top candidate humAb using a novel human
MPC-augmented bleomycin murine model of IPF. We are optimistic that this approach will yield a best-in-class
therapy for this devastating disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9906133
- **Project number:** 1R43HL150897-01
- **Recipient organization:** LARIX BIOSCIENCE, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** JAMES W LARRICK
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $224,924
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-06-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9906133

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9906133, Novel anti-fibrotic therapy for IPF (1R43HL150897-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9906133. Licensed CC0.

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