Our Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Biobank is dedicated to advancing translational research in fibrotic lung diseases, with a particular focus on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). By systematically collecting and curating high-quality biospecimens from patients with ILD, the biobank serves as a critical resource for understanding disease mechanisms, identifying biomarkers, and developing novel therapeutic strategies.

The biobank includes a comprehensive set of specimens, including bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), lung biopsy tissues, and peripheral blood samples. These samples are collected under standardized protocols and are linked with detailed clinical data, enabling integrative analyses across molecular, cellular, and clinical dimensions.

Given the progressive and heterogeneous nature of IPF, access to well-annotated patient samples is essential for uncovering disease-driving pathways, including aberrant immune responses, fibroblast activation, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Our biobank aims to support studies that explore these mechanisms and facilitate the discovery of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, as well as therapeutic targets.

We actively promote collaboration and welcome investigators interested in utilizing this resource to accelerate research in ILD and IPF. Through these efforts, we hope to contribute to improved patient outcomes and the development of precision medicine approaches for fibrotic lung diseases.

Research Applications

The ILD Biobank supports a wide range of advanced translational research applications aimed at understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying fibrotic lung diseases, particularly idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Biospecimens from the biobank are suitable for high-resolution analyses, including single-cell RNA sequencing and bulk RNA sequencing to characterize cellular heterogeneity and gene expression profiles. Spatial transcriptomics further enables the investigation of tissue architecture and cell–cell interactions within the diseased lung microenvironment. In addition, proteomics and metabolomics approaches can be applied to uncover dysregulated signaling pathways and metabolic alterations. Comprehensive immune profiling, including flow cytometry, CyTOF, and imaging mass cytometry (IMC), allows detailed characterization of immune cell populations and their functional states. These integrated approaches facilitate in-depth studies of fibrosis-related pathways, such as TGF-β signaling and PI3K/AKT signaling, ultimately contributing to the identification of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

John Vang

Specialist

Publications