PRECISIONS
What is the PRECISIONS study?
PRECISIONS is a study that aims to transform the diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) by moving it into the era of precision medicine. In partnership with the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, the study is supported by a $22 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Three Lakes Foundation, a philanthropic family organization.
The study seeks to enroll 200 participants with IPF who are 40-years old and above with a confirmed rs3570920 TT TOLLIP genotype. The planned completion date is September 14, 2025. Participants can contribute to the study through 25 medical centers nationwide.
What are the goals of the study?
The goal of PRECISIONS is to provide patients with IPF access to personalized medicine in which the right medication is used for the right patient. Researchers expect the study to set the stage for a wide range of significant future research.
With new technologies, scientists may be able to isolate and analyze patients’ precise genetic and molecular differences. The PRECISIONS study will use this approach to determine whether well-tolerated N-Acetyl-cysteine (NAC) is an effective treatment in a subset of patients with IPF who carry a particular variant.
Additionally, the study will aim to distinguish IPF from non-IPF interstitial lung diseases using unbiased combinations of blood transcriptomics, large-scale molecular analysis of blood samples, and proteomics, an extensive analysis of protein expressions in the body. PRECISIONS will also set out to identify which genetic variants play a role in IPF risk.
Who is leading the study?
PRECISIONS is led by co-principal investigators Dr. Fernando J. Martinez of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York and Dr. Imre Noth of UVA Health in Virginia. Both hospital systems are a part of the PFF Care Center Network, a group of 68 medical centers nationwide with expertise in interstitial lung disease. Drs. Martinez and Noth are both members of the PFF’s esteemed Medical Advisory Board and the Research Review Committee.
“This innovative study highlights the value of a partnership between a broad range of investigators, the PFF, Three Lakes Partners, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Most importantly, it seeks to provide patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) access to personalized medicine in which the right medication is used for the right patient.”
– Fernando J. Martinez, MD, MS
PRECISIONS has the potential to really change the scientific landscape over how we view IPF and ILDs by providing molecular classifications while determining if a pharmacogenetically driven treatment can change outcomes.”
– Imre Noth, MD
How is the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation involved?
This push toward precision medicine would not be possible without the PFF Registry. The Registry samples provide baseline phenotypic data for the study—disease symptoms, demographics, social characteristics, and longitudinal data—showing changes over time.
PRECISIONS researchers will characterize gene expression and protein biomarkers for the PFF Registry cohort and define these genetic and molecular “signatures” for distinguishing IPF from non-IPF interstitial lung diseases. With this approach, the team can distinguish individual diseases and predict disease course and response to therapy.
