The Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University developed the "Bionic Respiratory Dynamic Stretching Culture Platform", which simulates the regular expansion and contraction of the lungs and trains stem cells to produce exosomes with greater repair potential, which can reduce pulmonary fibrosis and inflammatory reactions. The research results have been published in "Biomaterials", the top international journal of biomedical materials.
Pulmonary fibrosis, commonly known as "caiguabu lung", is a disease that causes the lung tissue to gradually harden and lose elasticity. Patients often suffer from persistent dry cough, difficulty breathing and other symptoms. In severe cases, they may even require lung transplantation. Among them, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is more common in middle-aged and elderly people, and those who smoke and have a family history are at higher risk.
Zhou Deyang, director of the China Affiliated Hospital, pointed out that there are currently clinical treatments such as anti-fibrosis drugs, oxygen therapy, and lung rehabilitation. However, the existing drugs mainly focus on delaying the progression of the disease and are still difficult to restore the formed fibrosis tissue to normal. Therefore, how to reduce pulmonary fibrosis and promote the repair of damaged tissue is an important direction for the medical community to continue to work hard.
Zhou Deyang led the team of Vice Dean of the Department of Surgery Fang Xinyuan, Thoracic Surgeon Chen Jianxun, and Deputy Director of the Xenograft Translation R&D Center Xie Mingyou to successfully develop the "Bionic Respiratory Dynamic Stretch Culture Platform", which uses a special 3D biological scaffold and regular stretching technology that simulates respiratory rhythms to allow stem cells to grow in a dynamic environment close to the lungs, just like allowing cells to undergo "breathing training."
Research results have found that exosomes secreted by specially cultured stem cells contain more anti-fibrotic miR-30, with the content approximately 3.3 times that of traditional static culture, demonstrating the potential to improve the repair function of exosomes. After entering damaged lung tissue, these exosomes can inhibit the excessive activation of cells that cause fibrosis and reduce collagen accumulation. On the other hand, they can regulate immune cells, shift the inflammatory response to a state conducive to tissue repair, and improve the mitochondrial function of damaged cells.
Zhou Deyang emphasized that this research introduces the concept of simulating the natural movement of human organs into stem cell culture. By changing the cell growth environment, it strengthens the anti-fibrosis effect of exosomes, providing a new research direction for regenerative medicine and pulmonary fibrosis treatment. The current results are still in the animal experimental stage. In the future, the team will continue to conduct safety and efficacy verification, promote clinical translation, and hope to bring new treatment options to patients with pulmonary fibrosis.
