Novel Therapeutic Strategies for the Treatment of Respiratory Diseases

Respiratory diseases, including both acute diseases, such as pneumonia, seasonal viral infections and the recent COVID-19 disease, and chronic diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and pulmonary fibrosis, are the main causes of death and disability in developed countries and therefore represent a serious problem for the public health system. To date, the treatments for acute respiratory pathologies are particularly challenging and, in some cases, not effective. Similarly, chronic respiratory diseases, especially the most severe forms, are characterized by corticoresistance and weak response to steroids, and the traditional drugs used to treat symptoms and slow-down the progression of these diseases are largely ineffective. Lung cancer represents another chronic respiratory disease that is difficult to treat. Despite great progress made in its treatment through surgery and radiotherapy, these approaches are very expensive. Instead, chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy are used when the size of the tumor limits surgical resection. However, today, this type of therapy has many disadvantages including great toxicity, poor targeting, and can even present drug resistance.

Considering the relevance of lung diseases to public health, novel therapeutic strategies are needed. This goal can be achieved thanks to deep evaluation of the pathogenetic mechanisms of respiratory diseases that allow the identification of new therapeutic targets, but also thanks to the use of nanotechnologies that integrate particular nanomaterials with existing drugs or that allow the development of new treatments. The new drug delivery systems have several advantages: the use of low doses of drug leading an effective therapeutic effect; reduction of drug resistance; increased bioavailability; controlled release of the incorporated drug; increased deposition and pulmonary retention and reduction of side effects.

This Research Topic welcomes basic and translational Original Research and Review articles focused on the use of innovative therapeutic strategies for the treatment of respiratory diseases. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• New insights into molecular signaling networks involved in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic respiratory diseases
• Identification of new target therapy
• Use of traditional drugs nanotechnologically formulated into innovative systems capable of delivering the bioactive in the target site
• New nanomaterials for the pulmonary delivery of a wide variety of both synthetic and natural drugs