A new series on airway remodelling

In today's respiratory research, airway remodelling is probably one the best examples of an area for which the level of excitement easily matches the level of confusion on its definition and implication. This seeming contradiction may, however, not be worrying at all in science. In fact, it is likely to be a powerful driving force of creative research, thereby generating and testing a variety of hypotheses. Traditionally, tissue structure was considered to be relatively stable after an episode of embryonic development. However, it is becoming more and more evident that growth, turn-over and repair of tissue represent a continuous, lifelong process involving all resident cells and their extracellular matrix (ECM), both in health and disease. This is also very likely the case for intrapulmonary airways 1, 2. At present, it is customary to reserve the term “airway …