Inhibition of CHIT1 as a novel therapeutic approach in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and eventually fatal lung disease with a complex etiology. Approved drugs, nintedanib and pirfenidone, modify disease progression, but IPF remains incurable and there is an urgent need for new therapies. We identified chitotriosidase (CHIT1) as new driver of fibrosis in IPF and a novel therapeutic target.