EAST LANSING, Mich. (WOWO) — Researchers at Michigan State University say a new discovery could help scientists better understand a rare genetic lung disorder affecting children and potentially guide future treatment approaches.
The MSU team, working with researchers from Stanford University, studied the TBX4 gene, which plays an important role in early lung development. Their findings provide new insight into how changes linked to the gene may contribute to pulmonary hypertension in children, a serious condition where increased blood pressure in the lungs forces the heart to work harder.
According to WILX News 10, researchers used a new disease model and three-dimensional imaging technology to examine how the condition affects lung structure.
The team found that excess muscle tissue builds up in multiple areas of the lungs, including blood vessels and the airways responsible for carrying oxygen in and out of the lungs.
“What we are finding, and I think that is the newness of our discovery, is that not only do the blood vessels have more muscle, the airway, the tubes that help us breathe, they have more muscle, and the periphery, the entire lung, has more muscle around it,” said Dr. Ripla Arora, an associate professor at the MSU College of Human Medicine.
Researchers say the discovery helps explain why the disease can worsen over time and provides a clearer picture of the biological changes occurring inside affected lungs.
Pulmonary hypertension caused by TBX4 gene changes is a rare condition that can place significant strain on a child’s heart because the heart must pump harder to move blood through narrowed or altered lung blood vessels.
The researchers said the findings could eventually help identify ways to slow or prevent the buildup of excess muscle tissue in the lungs.
However, the study does not provide an immediate treatment or cure.
Researchers emphasized that the work represents an important foundation for future therapies and gives scientists a better understanding of how the disease develops.
The collaboration between Michigan State University and Stanford University is part of ongoing efforts to investigate rare pediatric diseases and uncover the biological mechanisms that could lead to new medical approaches.
For families affected by TBX4-related lung disorders, researchers say advances in understanding the disease are an important step toward developing more targeted treatments in the future.
