Meeting the Need for Regenerative Treatment
The current study and the ongoing research into NZ-97 address the need for regenerative therapies in pulmonary disease, Dharani K. Narendra, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, said in an interview.
“Identifying DPP4 inhibitors, particularly NZ-97, as potential agents for expanding type 2 alveolar epithelial cells (AEC2s) represents a promising therapeutic strategy to stimulate the regeneration of damaged alveolar epithelium,” she said. “The AEC2s play a crucial role in lung repair, and targeting these could potentially ameliorate various lung diseases that currently lack effective treatments,” she explained.
“DPP4 inhibitors are well-established in diabetes management and have known biological actions; however, the successful repurposing and effectiveness of NZ-97 in promoting lung repair are surprising to some extent,” said Dr. Narendra. “This surprise stems from this medication’s novel application and efficacy in a pulmonary context, showing significant potential where traditional DPP4 inhibitors required higher, potentially unsafe doses to achieve similar effects,” she said.
Should research prove successful, NZ-97 could offer substantial clinical benefits for treating pulmonary diseases such as IPF and other conditions involving alveolar damage. By enhancing AEC2 proliferation, NZ-97 may improve patient outcomes by mitigating lung damage and promoting regenerative repair, possibly reducing the dependency on more invasive treatments like lung transplantation.
More research on NZ-97 is needed in order to identify potential barriers to its use, Dr. Narendra said. “Further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term effects of NZ-97, understand its mechanisms in human lung tissue, and determine its safety and efficacy in clinical settings.”
Dr. Narendra had no financial conflicts to disclose but served on the Editorial Board of Chest Physician.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.