Developmental Lung Biology and Lifespan Respiratory Disease: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Innovation

Lung development research encompasses intricate processes that begin prenatally and continue well into early life, shaping the structural and functional landscape of the respiratory system throughout the lifespan. Recent studies have highlighted how disruptions—whether genetic, environmental, mechanical, or immunological—during critical windows of development can affect alveolarization, airway architecture, vascular maturation, and immune cell composition. Such disturbances are increasingly implicated in respiratory diseases ranging from neonatal lung injury and bronchopulmonary dysplasia to adult pulmonary hypertension and chronic obstructive disorders. Despite notable advances in our molecular and cellular understanding, a coherent integration between fundamental developmental biology and clinical application remains an ongoing challenge. Questions persist regarding the precise mechanisms by which early-life insults predispose to lifelong respiratory morbidity, as well as how emerging insights might inform novel therapeutics and strategies for disease prevention and management.This Research Topic aims to connect advances in lung developmental biology with clinical insights, emphasizing how early mechanisms influence respiratory disease susceptibility, progression, and therapeutic opportunities across all ages. By fostering multidisciplinary dialogue—particularly between developmental biologists, neonatologists, pediatric pulmonologists, adult respiratory physicians, and translational researchers—this initiative seeks to catalyze new hypotheses and collaborative approaches. The primary objectives include delineating developmental pathways relevant to disease, identifying biomarkers and phenotypes linked to early-life events, and translating basic biological discoveries into improved clinical care.This Research Topic spans the continuum from basic science to clinical translation, focusing on the developmental origins and mechanistic underpinnings of respiratory disease. The scope extends to both experimental and clinical studies in neonatal, pediatric, and adult populations, but excludes non-research essays or studies outside the developmental or early-life framework. To gather further insights in these domains, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Molecular and cellular regulation of lung development• Epithelial–mesenchymal interactions in lung morphogenesis and repair• Mechanotransduction pathways and the effects of mechanical ventilation• Surfactant biology and biophysical properties in health and disease• Pulmonary vascular development, remodeling, and their role in disease• Mechanisms of lung regeneration, repair, and plasticity• Early-life lung injury and long-term consequences of prematurity• Precision phenotyping, biomarker discovery, and therapeutic innovation in respiratory careThis Research Topic welcomes Research Articles, Translational Studies, Mechanistic Investigations, and Reviews focused on the mechanisms of lung development, lung function, and the pathophysiology of respiratory diseases from birth to old age Topic editors: Ashraf Gad, Nahla Zaghloul, Javed Ahmed Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80108/developmental-lung-biology-and-lifespan-respiratory-disease-mechanisms-and-therapeutic-innovation