Fernando Martinez Leads Nationwide Department of Defense Clinical Study Targeting Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis 

Fernando Martinez, MD, the Joseph D. Early Chair in Biomedical Research, professor of medicine, vice chair for clinical and translational research, and academic chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, is the lead investigator of a nationwide clinical study funded by the Department of Defense (DOD) targeting idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic, progressive disease impacting the lungs. The study, supported by a $625,000 grant from the DOD, aims to address the effectiveness of metformin in IPF using a multicenter approach. As part of the study, Dr. Martinez will work to repurpose metformin, a drug commonly used to control blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes, to treat patients with IPF. 

Additionally, the study will integrate approximately 55 Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) care centers and Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers across the country and will define the ability of a newly developed blood test that may be able to identify patients suffering from IPF who are at increased risk for adverse outcomes. 

“It’s safe to say that pulmonary fibrosis is of interest to the DOD because epidemiological data have demonstrated that veterans are at increased risk for disease. Moreover, the DOD has been forward thinking in introducing new ways to efficiently study future therapies across a broad range of patient groups by investing in novel pragmatic clinical trial infrastructure that will integrate VA Medical Centers with the PFF care network,” Dr. Martinez said.   

Read the full story in UMass Chan News.