This mysterious lung disease affects millions of people – a drug tested in mice shows promise

X-ray shows scarring in the lungs that occurs in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Credit: Science Photo Library A mysterious lung disease that affects millions of people worldwide and for which there is no cure has been treated in mice using a drug that targets a previously unknown mechanism 1 . Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a life-threatening disease in which lung tissue becomes scarred, making it hard to breathe, eventually leading to death for many people. …