Summary: At National Jewish Health, researchers have found cells and signaling molecules that start the repair process of injured lungs. They studied the destruction of lung tissue in mice and found that it causes smooth muscle cells that encompass the airways and give of a protein that is called fibroblast growth factor 10 or FGF10. That protein causes the epithelial cells that have survived to go back to a stem-cell state, make more cells, and repair the lungs' lining. These findings could potentially be used in therapeutic strategies to repair injure lungs.
Critique: This is really cool. Hopefully they will do more research on this.
Impact: There are lots of people with damaged lungs out there, and when this gets to be more practical, it could really help them.
Reference: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/10/11/stem_cells_signaling_pathways_identified_in_lung_repair.html
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