Influenza virus infections pose a major public health threat, accounting for 3.5 million severe infections and more than 400,000 deaths globally each year (1). Most seasonal vaccines consist of inactivated influenza virus components, which induce antibody responses against...

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a form of progressive interstitial lung disease with unknown etiology. Due to a lack of effective treatment, IPF is associated with a high mortality rate. The hallmark feature of this disease is the accumulation of activated myofibroblasts that...

Influenza Virus (IV) pneumonia is associated with severe damage of the lung epithelium and respiratory failure. Apart from efficient host defense, structural repair of the injured epithelium is crucial for survival of severe pneumonia...

Influenza A viruses (IAV) can cause lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is characterized by accumulation of excessive fluid (edema) in the alveolar airspaces and leads to hypoxemia...

Macrophages can be niches for bacterial pathogens or antibacterial effector cells depending on the pathogen and signals from the immune system.

Granulocyte/macrophage colony–stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a myeloid growth factor, which induces proliferation and differentiation of macrophages and dendritic cells. Recently, several publications highlighted GM-CSF as highly protective in different preclinical models of...

Influenza viruses (IV) cause pneumonia in humans with progression to lung failure and fatal outcome. Dysregulated release of cytokines including type I interferons (IFNs) has been attributed a crucial role in immune-mediated pulmonary injury during severe IV infection.

Influenza viruses (IVs) cause pneumonia in humans with progression to lung failure. Pulmonary DCs are key players in the antiviral immune response, which is crucial to restore alveolar barrier function. The mechanisms of expansion and activation of pulmonary DC populations in lung infection...

Exudate macrophages are key players in host defense toward invading pathogens. Their antiinflammatory and epithelial-protective potential in gram-negative pneumonia, however, remains elusive.

Resident alveolar macrophages have been attributed a crucial role in host defense toward pulmonary infection. Their contribution to alveolar repair processes, however, remains elusive.

Mononuclear phagocytes have been attributed a crucial role in the host defense toward influenza virus (IV), but their contribution to influenza-induced lung failure is incompletely understood.