Fibrosis can affect any organ and is responsible for up to 45% of all deaths in the industrialized world. It has long been thought to be relentlessly progressive and irreversible, but both preclinical models and clinical trials in various organ systems have shown that fibrosis is a highly dynamic process. This has clear implications for therapeutic interventions that are designed to capitalize on this inherent plasticity. However, despite substantial progress in our understanding of the pathobiology of fibrosis, a translational gap remains between the identification of putative antifibrotic targets and conversion of this knowledge into effective treatments in humans. Here we discuss the transformative experimental strategies that are being leveraged to dissect the key cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate fibrosis, and the translational approaches that are enabling the emergence of precision medicine-based therapies for patients with fibrosis.

中文翻译：

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纤维化：从机制到药物

纤维化可以影响任何器官，在工业化世界中，高达 45% 的死亡是由纤维化造成的。长期以来，它一直被认为是无情的进展和不可逆转的，但临床前模型和各种器官系统的临床试验都表明，纤维化是一个高度动态的过程。这对于旨在利用这种固有可塑性的治疗干预措施具有明显的意义。然而，尽管我们对纤维化病理学的理解取得了实质性进展，但在确定推定的抗纤维化靶点与将这些知识转化为人类有效治疗之间仍然存在转化差距。在这里，我们讨论了用于剖析调节纤维化的关键细胞和分子机制的变革性实验策略，