Man's Best Friend May Open Door to Understanding Fibrotic Lung Disease in Human and Animal P...( Human and Canine Respiratory Spec...),Health

Human and Canine Respiratory Specialists Meet for First Time to Discuss Joint Research Efforts Into Pulmonary Fibrosis and Other Fibrotic Lung Diseases

LAFAYETTE, Ind., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In what is a growing trend among research scientists in the United States and the United Kingdom, animal and human researchers are collaborating to find answers that will lead to effective treatments for deadly diseases that affect both species. Researchers from internationally-recognized medical, veterinary and academic institutions joined together for the first human/canine conference on fibrotic lung disease.

The group met in Lafayette, Ind., in an effort to examine potential collaborative opportunities to research the disease. The researchers joined to investigate the possibility of finding faster paths that will lead to the identification of effective treatment in the human form of the disease which has confounded researchers for decades as well as identifying, diagnosing and treating dogs with canine pulmonary fibrosis.

"We brought together thought leaders on both the human and animal sides of fibrotic lung disease as a groundbreaking opportunity to look at this devastating disease and its impact on West Highland White Terriers (Westies) and discuss how science in animals and humans can work together to combat it," said Wayne Kompare, president of the Westie Foundation of America, the group that hosted the two-day meeting along with two foundations that fund canine veterinary research: the American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation and Morris Animal Foundation.

Similarities between human fibrotic lung disease and fibrotic lung disease that affects dogs are profound. Dogs known to be more commonly affected by the deadly lung disease, which is characterized by extensive and progressive scarring in the lungs, are Westies, a loveable companion popular in the U.S. and the U.K. It is currently believed some terriers may be at si
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