Publications

Abstract BACKGROUND Asthma is a heterogeneous disease; therefore, biomarkers that can assist in the identification of subtypes and direct therapy are highly desirable. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM) by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) degradation causing fragments of type I collagen that is released into circulation. OBJECTIVE […]

Abstract In the tumor microenvironment, the extracellular matrix (ECM) has been recognized as an important part of cancer development. The dominant ECM proteins are the 28 types of collagens, each with a unique function in tissue architecture. Type XX collagen, however, is poorly characterized, and little is known about its involvement in cancer. We developed […]

Abstract Due to activation of fibroblast into cancer-associated fibroblasts, there is often an increased deposition of extracellular matrix and fibrillar collagens, e.g. type III collagen, in the tumor microenvironment (TME) that leads to tumor fibrosis (desmoplasia). Tumor fibrosis is closely associated with treatment response and poor prognosis for patients with solid tumors. To assure that […]

Abstract CONTEXT Serum propeptides of type III and type VI collagen (PRO-C3 and PRO-C6) are elevated in advanced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but their value in patients with severe obesity and their evolution after bariatric surgery (BS) is unknown. It is unclear if these markers of fibrogenesis are affected by adipose tissue fibrosis (ATF). […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a debilitating lung disease with limited treatment options. A phase 2 trial (NCT01766817) showed that twice-daily treatment with BMS-986020, a lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPA) antagonist, significantly decreased the slope of forced vital capacity (FVC) decline over 26 weeks compared with placebo in patients with IPF. This analysis aimed to […]

Abstract Delayed graft function after kidney transplantation is common and increases morbidity and health care costs. There is evidence that endotrophin, a specific fragment of pro-collagen type VI, promotes the inflammatory response in kidney diseases. We tested the hypothesis that pretransplant endotrophin in kidney transplant recipients may be associated with the risk of delayed graft […]

Abstract Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is the primary cause of liver-related mortality and morbidity. Liver fibrosis remains the best validated surrogate marker for patient prognosis and is usually assessed in liver biopsies using histochemical stains detecting collagen as the major extracellular matrix (ECM) component in ALD. Distinction of collagen subtypes is of clinical interest, as […]

Abstract BACKGROUND With metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) incidence and prevalence increasing, it is necessary to identify patients with advanced fibrosis (F3-F4 stages). We evaluated the performance of new biomarkers and algorithms for diagnosing advanced fibrosis in an Asian population. METHODS Data from two Asian cohorts (including 851 biopsy-proven MAFLD [578 from Wenzhou, 273 […]

Abstract The development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has been associated with alterations in gut microbiota composition and reduced gut barrier function. is a gut microbe that is thought to have health-promoting properties, including the ability to improve gut barrier function and host metabolism, both when administered live and after heat-inactivation. We questioned whether heat-inactivated may […]

Abstract The use of novel tools to understand tumour-fibrosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and novel anti-fibrotic treatments are highly needed. We established a pseudo-3D in vitro model including humane pancreatic fibroblasts (PFs) and pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in combination with clinical collagen biomarkers, as a translational anti-fibrotic drug screening tool. Furthermore, we investigated the […]