IPF is a progressive, agonizing, debilitating and ultimately fatal disease that affects <200,000 individuals in the United States and approximately 5 million individuals worldwide.  IPF diminishes the patient’s ability to breathe over a period of time.  Median survival from the time of diagnosis is 3 years, which is worse than many cancers.

Lung cancer is the number 1 cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in US and globally. Annual fatality of lung cancer is about 131,000 in the US and 1.8 million people globally. The median 5-year survival is ~22% partly due to the fact that around 60% of new diagnosed patients are in advanced metastatic stage IV, and therefore, difficult to treat. Currently, lung cancer is treated by various methods such as 1) surgery/radiology, 2) chemotherapy (taxanes), 3) targeted therapy (kinase inhibitors), 4) immunotherapy (antibodies, check-point inhibitors). Nevertheless, addressing the metastatic stage IV lung cancer remains to be an unmet medical need.

Fibrosis results from excess deposition of fibrous connective tissue by fibroblasts during the repair process which results in continuous scarring and loss of normal organ elasticity and function.