title: Cell-based therapies for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During the last few decades, cell-based therapies have shown great potential to treat patients with lung diseases. It has been proposed that the administration of cells into an injured lung could be considered as a therapeutic method to repair and replace lost lung tissue. Using this method, transplanted cells with the ability to proliferate and differentiate into alveolar cells, have been suggested as a therapeutic strategy for IPF treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this review, the latest investigations using various types of cells for IPF therapy have been presented. The cells studied for cell-based therapies in IPF are lung alveolar epithelial cells, lung resident stem cells and exogenous adult stem cells such as MSCs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After many years of investigation, the use of cell-based therapies to treat IPF is still at the experimental phase. Problems include bioethical issues, safety of cell transplantation, routes of delivery and the dose and timing of administration. Further investigations are necessary to establish the best strategy for using cell-based therapies effectively for the treatment of IPF.
authors.affiliation: a Respiratory Technology, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and Discipline of Pharmacology , Sydney Medical School , Sydney , NSW , Australia.
authors.forename: Maliheh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghadiri
authors.affiliation: a Respiratory Technology, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and Discipline of Pharmacology , Sydney Medical School , Sydney , NSW , Australia.
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: a Respiratory Technology, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and Discipline of Pharmacology , Sydney Medical School , Sydney , NSW , Australia.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Traini
mesh_terms: D053687:Adult Stem Cells; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; D066026:Endothelial Progenitor Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D006801:Humans; D054990:Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000628:therapy*; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000166:cytology
keywords: Alveolar epithelial cell; IPF; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; stem cell