Researchers Discover Human Lung Stem Cell

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital have discovered a true human lung stem cell. The human lung stem cell is self-renewing and capable of forming multiple biological structures within the lung.

"These are critical first steps in developing clinical treatment for those with lung diseases for which no therapies exist. Further research is needed, but we are excited about the impact this discovery could have on our ability to regenerate or recreate new lung tissues to replace damaged areas of the lungs," said Joseph Loscalzo, M.D. Phd., chair of the Department of Medicine at BWH and co-author.

As someone who has lost two grandfathers and a father to lung cancer these findings seem promising for the treatment of lung cancer in the future. In the past a diagnosis of lung cancer was a death sentence.