The DFG (German Research Foundation) and the french Agency Nationale Recherche (ANR) are funding a Franco-German consortium led by Prof. Silke Meiners and Prof. Jürgen Behr (CPC-M) with a total volume of 450,000 €. The project investigates alternative proteasome complexes with the proteasome activator PA200 as a new therapeutic target for the treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).
The background: Recently published data from Silke Meiners' laboratory showed that PA200 is more abundant in the lung tissue of IPF patients. Preliminary data of the lab suggest that PA200 is partly responsible for a change in DNA structure (chromatin remodeling) - which in turn could contribute to the development and progression of IPF. To test this hypothesis, the project combines the translational expertise of the Meiners lab and the group of Prof. Jürgen Behr (CPC-M, LMU Clinic) with the unique expertise of Marie-Pierre Bousquet at the Institute of Pharmacology and Structural Biology in Toulouse/France.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal lung disease with no effective therapies beyond lung transplantation. New therapeutic approaches based on a mechanistic understanding of IPF development are therefore urgently needed.