Avoiding Lung Damage: New Research Identifies Strategies to Prevent Severe Influenza
Bethesda, Maryland – Researchers have identified 50 potential strategies to prevent severe lung damage in influenza infections, offering hope for improved treatment and outcomes. The study, published in Science (2025; DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adr4635), details preclinical experiments in mice exploring combinations of antiviral medications and immunosuppressants to avert a critical “tipping point” in pneumonia pathogenesis.
The research builds on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, where early antiviral use and later-stage steroid treatment proved effective in preventing death from acute respiratory failure. Led by Hiroshi Ichise from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the team investigated how to apply similar principles to influenza, focusing on mitigating the damaging effects of the body’s own immune response. Influenza-related deaths aren’t solely caused by viral destruction of lung tissue; often, an overactive and untargeted immune defense inflicts further damage, leading to irreversible lung injury.
The NIAID team’s experiments systematically tested various interventions to identify those most effective at preventing this damaging cascade. While the specific strategies are detailed in the Science publication,the research aims to provide a foundation for future clinical trials and the progress of more targeted influenza therapies.
