Fibrosis remains a leading cause of organ failure worldwide, yet effective treatments are still severely limited. In this comprehensive review, the team dives deep into the critical crosstalk between immune cells and the stromal microenvironment, mapping out how unresolved tissue injuries create persistent, self-sustaining inflammatory/fibrotic loops across different organ systems.
The review focuses on three key areas:
The immune-stromal loop: examining how damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and chronic cytokine signaling trap tissues in a pro-fibrotic state
Myelofibrosis as a model system: explaining why bone marrow fibrosis serves as an invaluable blueprint for understanding — and potentially reversing — organ scarring
Targeting the axis: Outlining new therapeutic strategies aimed at disrupting this cellular communication to stop or reverse disease progression.
“Investigating these complex cellular networks is and will be key to unlock the next generation of antifibrotic therapies,” says insitute director Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Rebekka Schneider-Kramann PHD.
The full, open-access paper is available at doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.202062.
Funding supporting this line of research includes the European Research Council (ERC), the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG – German Research Foundation), the Oncode Institute, and the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF).
