Bronchoscopic model of silicosis reveals a cellular quartet orchestrating the fibrotic niche

Silicosis is an inflammation-driven pulmonary fibrosis caused by occupational exposure to respirable silica particles. Macrophages are crucial in silicosis pathology, yet how they interact with stromal cells to orchestrate fibrosis progression remains poorly understood.Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) was performed on whole lung lavage from silicosis patients. Alongside this, a site-specific silicosis mouse model via mini-bronchoscopy was developed, which was able to recapitulate scRNAseq transcriptomic signatures and cell type-specific expansion of pro-fibrotic clusters observed in human disease.