April 28, 2025
Exploring lung regeneration and repair
In March 2025, with the support of an APF Conference Award, Annabel Kunzemann, a PhD student at the Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Repair, University College London, attended the European Respiratory Society’s 23rd Lung Science Conference (LSC) in Estoril, Portugal.
The event brought together leading lung researchers from across the globe, with this year’s theme focused on regeneration and repair of the diseased lung. For Annabel, this was her first international conference, where she presented a poster on her research into idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF).
It was a fantastic opportunity to share my work with scientists from different disciplines within biology. The conversations I had at my poster gave me new ideas and helped me think about my research in amore integrated way.
Picture of Annabel attending the conferenceUnderstanding the fibrotic lung
Annabel’s research investigates how scar tissue develops in the lungs of people with IPF. The condition leads to the abnormal buildup of extracellular matrix, which is a dense, mesh-like scaffold that surrounds the lung cells, and over time causes the lung tissue to stiffen and makes breathing more difficult.
To study this process, Annabel developed a lab-based model of IPF that mimicked the scarring that is seen in people with IPF. This model will enable scientists to explore how lung cells and the extracellular matrix communicate, and how this signalling might trigger even more scarring. Annabel’s new model has the potential to identify proteins in the lungs that are involved in lung repair. Further research will help to understand if these areas could be targets for new drugs that could treat IPF.
By establishing a disease-like scar in a flask, I was able to study how lung cells respond and how they might contribute to worsening fibrosis. Disrupting this harmful feedback loop could potentially be key to future treatment options.
Learning from the wider research community
The LSC conference also featured oral presentations, poster sessions, and lively scientific debates. Annabel was particularly inspired by sessions focused on the extracellular matrix in lung disease, which highlighted how much this area of research is progressing.
A standout moment for Annabel was the debate “The cell is sufficient for lung regeneration, it doesn’t need the scaffold”, which brought together contrasting views from leading experts and stimulated engaging discussion among attendees.
It was exciting to see how much the research field is advancing in pulmonary fibrosis, and how many new questions we need to find the answers to, with all latest technologies now available. I’ve come away from the conference full of new ideas and motivated to keep pushing my research forward.
Only made possible by your support
Attending the ERS Lung Science Conference was a milestone in Annabel’s early research career, and one which was only made possible by your generous donations.
I’m so grateful to APF for making this experience possible. Connecting with scientists from around the world was truly inspiring, and I’m more committed than ever to contributing to research that can help people living with IPF.
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