Träningsimiterad sträckning av lungstamceller för att främja vävnadsregenerering vid Kronisk Obstruktiv Lungsjukdom

The project is about studying lung regeneration of lung progenitor cells in COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) using exercise-mimicking stretching. COPD is a devastating lung disease that drastically alters the structure of the lungs, leading to severe breathing problems and recurrent lung infections. Recent studies have shown that symptoms can improve through several months of exercise. Interestingly, the lung is subjected to mechanical stimuli during exercise, which are physically transmitted to lung cells and thus affect the final biological response. For instance, just breathing stretches lung cells, contributing to maintaining lung structure. This is dysregulated in interstitial lung diseases like COPD, in the form of emphysema that impairs the physiological transmission of stretch. One possible explanation for patients' improvement due to exercise is that lung progenitors regain their physiological stretching from healthy conditions and activate molecular pathways favouring lung regeneration.
The applicant and other colleagues in the group have studied lung progenitors in ex vivo lung models. We have demonstrated that lung stromal cells stretched in vitro with physiological lung motions actively sense the mechanical stimuli from their environment. Furthermore, we have shown that there are relevant secreted soluble factors, such as HGF (Hepatocyte Growth Factor), involved in lung repair in COPD. In this project, we aim to study the molecular pathways in lung regeneration induced by stretching on lung progenitors in COPD. We hope to provide more information about the mechanisms activated in lung regeneration due to exercise in COPD patients.