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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a serious health condition that results in lung scarring, breathing difficulties and a severely shortened lifespan. Air pollution is associated with IPF development and progression, but we do not understand why.

This project aimed to answer this question by looking at the molecular and structural changes that occur in the lungs of patients with IPF following exposure to air pollution. Using satellite-derived air pollution data and de-identified patient clinical information from Providence Research, the project team is working to determine if certain genes in patients with IPF are responsible for worse clinical outcomes when these individuals are exposed to more air pollution.

Researchers examined how air pollution turns certain genes on or off in patients with IPF, through a process called DNA methylation. The team is also using high-resolution imaging tools and deep-learning-based texture analysis on high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans to understand how the structure of the lungs changes in response to air pollution in patients with IPF

This research is helping us understand how air pollution contributes to progressive lung scarring in patients with IPF and may identify new targets for therapies to reverse lung scarring. This work is also informing environmental health policies aimed at protecting vulnerable populations, including patients with IPF and other chronic lung diseases.