Therapeutic approaches to control tissue repair and fibrosis: Extracellular matrix as a game changer

Organ fibrosis is characterized by the accumulation of disorganized and stiff extracellular matrix (ECM) and represents the final stage of several life-threatening diseases. The progressive replacement of normal tissue by fibrotic ECM impedes organ functionality to the point of failure. Fibrosis affects millions of people worldwide with no effective cure for various reasons: (a) Due to the lack of clinical biomarkers and non-invasive detection...