Delivery of RNAi Therapeutics to the Airways—From Bench to Bedside

Qiu, Yingshan; Lam, Jenny K. W.; Leung, Susan W. S.; Liang, Wanling

Pulmonary fibrosis is a respiratory disorder characterized by the progressive and irreversible destruction of lung architecture, which ultimately leads to organ malfunction, disruption of gas exchange and even death [222] . It is initiated by lung tissue damage resulting from autoimmune disorders or exposure to external irritants. The damage in turn triggers inflammatory reactions for tissue repair in the attempt to restore the normal tissue architecture and functions [222] . Under pathological conditions, extracellular matrix (ECM) components, which are released by the activated myofibroblasts during the wound healing process, are excessively produced and accumulate at the site of tissue injury, resulting in fibrosis [223] . There are many forms of pulmonary fibrosis. All of them are lethal diseases with high mortality rate but with very limited therapeutic options [223] . Thus pulmonary fibrosis is a lung disease with huge unmet medical need.