TrialLineage Concept
Fibroblasts
Fibroblasts are the cells responsible for producing and maintaining the structural framework of tissues. In normal wound healing, they deposit collagen to repair damage. In fibrotic diseases, fibroblasts become persistently activated and overproduce extracellular matrix, driving progressive tissue scarring.
What are fibroblasts?
Fibroblasts are connective tissue cells found throughout the body. Their primary role is synthesizing the extracellular matrix — the structural scaffold of proteins (mainly collagens) and glycoproteins that gives tissues their shape and mechanical properties.
When tissue is damaged, fibroblasts are recruited to the injury site and activated. Activated fibroblasts (sometimes called myofibroblasts) produce large amounts of collagen and contract the wound. In healthy repair, these cells undergo apoptosis (programmed cell death) once the wound closes. In fibrotic disease, they resist apoptosis and continue producing matrix indefinitely.
Connection to the IPF lineage
Fibroblasts are the primary effector cells in IPF. The entire therapeutic hypothesis behind BMS-986278 is that blocking LPA1 receptor signaling will reduce fibroblast activation, recruitment, and survival in the lung — thereby slowing the progressive scarring that characterizes the disease.