Discovery of unknown lung cell points to new target for cystic fibrosis medicines
The discovery could shift the understanding of the basic biology of cystic fibrosis, provide potential new targets for therapies, and one day shake up the market for CF medications.
The researchers set out to take a census of all the cells that line our airway, a taxonomy of the tissue made possible by new technology. Perhaps, they thought, they would find different subtypes of cells they already knew existed or would come to better understand the cells’ functions.
As the data came in, though, they pointed to a more intriguing finding: a previously unknown cell, one that was similar to a cell found in the gills of fish and skin of frogs.
Senior researchers were initially dubious. “I thought, ‘It’s great to have graduate students who are so bold,’ but in the back of my head, I was thinking there was no way this was right,” said Dr. Jay
