The causes of ARDS are not well understood. Either direct or indirect injuries can cause ARDS. Direct injuries include: pneumonia, inhaling stomach contents (aspiration), breathing in harmful fumes or smoke, and injury to the chest that causes bruising of the lungs. Indirect injuries include: severe and widespread bacterial infection in the body (sepsis), severe injury to the body that causes low blood pressure, bleeding that requires blood transfusions, and inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) Aqualung Therapeutics Appoints Two New Board Directors - June 2022
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Predictive Medicine, Biomarkers & the Multiple Unmet Needs in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome - April 2022
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Tucson startup looks to human trials for drug to treat lung inflammation - March 2022
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Aqualung Therapeutic’s ALT-100 Antibody Significantly Reduces ARDS Severity in Both Rat and Porcine (Large Animal) Preclinical Models - Feb 2022
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Aqualung Therapeutics Corp., an Immunotherapeutics Biotech Company, Closes a $2.5M Convertible Note Raise With a Committed Series A Lead Investor- January 2022
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CEO & Founder of Aqualung Therapeutics Corp., Joe G.N. Garcia MD to Present Corporate Update at the Annual Biotech Showcase - Dec 2021
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Dr. Joe GN Garcia speaks on the impacts of COVID-19 in the year 2020 in PharmaVOICE Magazine Nov/Dec Issue - Nov / Dec 2021
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Aqualung Therapeutics Selected to Present at the Phoenix 2021 Venture Madness Competition - August 2021
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Dr. Garcia Grand Rounds at Houston Methodist - July 2021
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CEO of Aqualung Therapeutics Corp., Joe G.N. Garcia MD, Named Invited Speaker at the First Annual Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Drug Development Summit - June 2021
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Aqualung Therapeutics Plans A Phase 0 ARDS Trial for eNAMPT Monoclonal Antibody (Alt-100 mAb) Following Type B FDA Meeting - June 2021
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eNAMPT, an inflammation-regulatory protein is now tightly linked to COVID-19 deaths - Feb 2021
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Studies: eNAMPT, an inflammation-regulatory protein is now tightly linked to COVID-19 deaths - Feb 2021
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Healing lungs, improving data, oncology research and more - June 2020
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Dr. Joe GN Garcia addresses the Foe Behind Covid-19 Deaths: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome - July 2020
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Why An Experimental Therapy for Inflammatory Disorders Could Help the Fight Against COVID-19 - May 2020
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AquaLung Therapeutics Corp. Receives NIH Approval to Advance to IND-Enabling Studies Via the STTR Fastrack Phase II Award for Development of A Novel Anti-Inflammatory Therapeutic Antibody for ARDS - May 2020
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Aqualung Takes Genomic Approach to COVID-19’s Killer Lung Inflammation - April 2020
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Deaths with COVID-19 primarily in patients transferred to ICU – KGUN9 Interview - April 2020
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Fight Against COVID 19 May Yield Solutions to ARDS - April 2020
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Chorioamnionitis is a complication of pregnancy associated with significant maternal, perinatal, and long-term adverse outcomes. Adverse maternal outcomes include postpartum infections and sepsis while adverse infant outcomes include stillbirth, premature birth, neonatal sepsis, chronic lung disease and brain injury leading to cerebral palsy and other neurodevelopmental disabilities. There is a need to identify novel therapies to reduce the perinatal mortality and long-term morbidity of chorioamnionitis-related prematurity.  (ChorP)

Tucson startup looks to human trials for drug to treat lung inflammation - January 2022
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Aqualung Therapeutics Corp., Closes a $2.5M Convertible Note Raise With a Committed Series A Lead Investor - January 2022
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CEO & Founder of Aqualung Therapeutics Corp., Joe G.N. Garcia MD to Present Corporate Update at the Annual Biotech Showcase - December 2021
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Aqualung Therapeutics Selected to Present at the Phoenix 2021 Venture Madness Competition - August 2021
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Aqualung Therapeutics Corp. Awarded $300 Thousand From National Institute of Health (NIH) to Develop a Novel Therapeutic for Pregnant Women at Risk for Preterm Births - September 2020
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Healing lungs, improving data, oncology research and more - June 2020
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Pulmonary fibrosis is a lung disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred. This thickened, stiff tissue makes it more difficult for your lungs to work properly. As pulmonary fibrosis worsens, you become progressively more short of breath.

The scarring associated with pulmonary fibrosis can be caused by a multitude of factors. But in most cases, doctors can't pinpoint what's causing the problem. When a cause can't be found, the condition is termed idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

The lung damage caused by pulmonary fibrosis can't be repaired, but medications and therapies can sometimes help ease symptoms and improve quality of life. For some people, a lung transplant might be appropriate.

Aqualung Therapeutic's ALT-100 Monoclonal Antibody Cited as A Novel Therapeutic for Lung Fibrosis - April 2022
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Tucson startup looks to human trials for drug to treat lung inflammation - January 2022
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Aqualung Therapeutics Corp., an Immunotherapeutics Biotech Company, Closes a $2.5M Convertible Note Raise With a Committed Series A Lead Investor - January 2022
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CEO & Founder of Aqualung Therapeutics Corp., Joe G.N. Garcia MD to Present Corporate Update at the Annual Biotech Showcase - December 2021
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Aqualung Therapeutics Selected to Present at the Phoenix 2021 Venture Madness Competition - August 2021
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Healing lungs, improving data, oncology research and more - June 2020
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is an umbrella term used to describe disorders that involve chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. The two major types of IBD include Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease characterized by inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract, are characterized by persistent or recurrent bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, frequent bowel movements. fatigue and weight loss.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an umbrella term for a range of liver conditions affecting people who drink little to no alcohol. As the name implies, the main characteristic of NAFLD is too much fat stored in liver cells.

NAFLD is increasingly common around the world, especially in Western nations. In the United States, it is the most common form of chronic liver disease, affecting about one-quarter of the population.

Some individuals with NAFLD can develop nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an aggressive form of fatty liver disease, which is marked by liver inflammation and may progress to advanced scarring (cirrhosis) and liver failure. This damage is similar to the damage caused by heavy alcohol use.

Prostate cancer begins when cells in the prostate gland start to grow out of control. The prostate is a gland found only in males. It makes some of the fluid that is part of semen. Almost all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas. These cancers develop from the gland cells (the cells that make the prostate fluid that is added to the semen).

Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure that only occurs in the lungs blood vessels. It affects the arteries in your lungs and puts tremendous pressure on the right side of your heart which ultimately fails.

In one form of pulmonary hypertension, tiny arteries in your lungs, called pulmonary arterioles, and capillaries become narrowed, blocked or destroyed. This makes it harder for blood to flow through your lungs, and raises pressure within your lungs’ arteries. As the pressure builds, your heart’s lower right chamber (right ventricle) must work harder to pump blood through your lungs, eventually causing your heart muscle to weaken and fail.

Some forms of pulmonary hypertension are serious conditions that become progressively worse and are sometimes fatal. Although some forms of pulmonary hypertension aren’t curable, treatment can help lessen symptoms and improve your quality of life.

The development of radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is a potentially fatal toxicity in cancer patients undergoing thoracic radiotherapy or in individuals exposed to ionizing radiation (IR) from a nuclear incident. The pathobiology of radiation pneumonitis and radiation-induced lung fibrosis (RILF) is complex but includes the deleterious effects of unchecked inflammation (reactive oxygen species, cytokines, inflammatory cells) that increase vascular permeability, impair gas transfer and promote fibrosis. Radiation-induced lung injury, including radiation pneumonitis and radiation fibrosis, is common among patients who have received radiation therapy, and it is the most common treatment-limiting toxicity among patients who receive thoracic radiation. The clinical presentation is typically cough, low-grade fever, with or without dyspnea, and radiographic changes that demonstrate a pattern of pneumonitis with ground glass opacities. It typically presents one to six months after therapy, while radiation-associated fibrosis tends to present six to twenty-four months following radiation therapy.

Lupus is a disease that occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs (autoimmune disease). Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems — including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.

Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms often mimic those of other ailments. The most distinctive sign of lupus — a facial rash that resembles the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks — occurs in many but not all cases of lupus.

Some people are born with a tendency toward developing lupus, which may be triggered by infections, certain drugs or even sunlight. While there's no cure for lupus, treatments can help control symptoms.

Trauma-Induced Lung Injury (TILI) occurs when physical trauma—such as blunt chest impact or major surgery—triggers severe inflammation and damage to lung tissue. This condition can lead to respiratory failure, prolonged ICU stays, and increased mortality. Aqualung Therapeutics is advancing research to develop targeted therapies that reduce lung inflammation and improve outcomes for TILI patients.

Stay up to date with the latest from Aqualung Therapeutics. Explore company news, press releases, and media highlights showcasing our scientific progress, partnerships, and impact in the field of lung health.

Invest Palm Beach Interview with Dr Skip Garcia - January 2026
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