Repurposing Pyrvinium as an Inhaled Therapy for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Official title: Repurposing Pyrvinium as an Inhalation Therapy for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Funded at Oleolive, INC. · NIH-11550918 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-friendly look at a project trying to use an existing drug, pyrvinium, as an inhaled treatment option for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oleolive, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Shreveport, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $6,500 |
| NIH project number | 3R41HL180136-01S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11550918 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are IPF patients or individuals at risk who may benefit from new inhaled therapies and participate in early-stage research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without IPF or with advanced conditions not suited for inhaled therapies may not benefit.
What this research studies
IPF is a serious lung disease where scar tissue slowly worsens breathing. This project explores turning a pill drug into an inhaled therapy to reach the lungs directly, aiming to slow or reduce fibrosis with better local delivery. Researchers will test the inhaled form in preclinical models to understand safety, how well it reaches the lungs, and its effect on disease-related pathways. If successful, this could lead to earlier trials in people with IPF to improve breathing and outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with IPF could have a new inhaled treatment option that targets lung tissue more directly and potentially slows disease progression.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work showed pyrvinium can affect fibrosis pathways in cells and animals, with inhalation delivery posing a key challenge.
Where this research is happening
-
Oleolive, INC.
Shreveport, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cardelli, James — Oleolive, INC.
- Study coordinator: Cardelli, James
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Screening new compounds to reverse gene signatures in IPF lungs
A researcher hopes to find compounds that reverse harmful gene changes in the lungs of people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
-
Unraveling IPF subtypes to guide prognosis and therapy
This grant aims to identify different IPF subtypes in the lung to improve how we predict outcomes and tailor treatments for people with IPF.
-
Novel antibody therapy to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
A small business gig is developing a targeted antibody drug (VSR-H5) to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in patients, aiming for better safety and effectiveness than current medicines.
-
Repurposing Vonoprazan as an inhaled therapy for IPF
A high-profile NIH grant is testing whether an existing drug, vonoprazan, can be inhaled to slow or reverse lung fibrosis in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
-
Proteomic profile of IPF progression to help tailor treatments
A study will look for blood protein patterns that predict how IPF lung disease will progress in patients.
-
Adrenergic Nerves and Noradrenaline in Lung Fibrosis
A physician-scientist-in-training at Yale seeks to build a patient-focused research program on how nerve signals and adrenaline affect lung scarring in IPF.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.