Our Story

Three Lakes 12-20 is different from other foundations primarily due to its singular focus on pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a focus on finding effective therapies and its unique strategy of acting as a "catalyst" to unite disparate players in the field. Rather than solely providing grants, the foundation's approach includes actively fostering collaborations between researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry partners to drive innovation and investment. 

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TL12-20 is the only foundation solely focused on supporting research to identify and develop novel drugs to treat and ultimately cure pulmonary fibrosis. Every dollar donated to TL12-20 goes directly to science.

Many promising new medicines are abandoned after early research and development in a critical phase called the “Valley of death”. One of the major barriers to this progression is the inability to predict efficacy in humans, ie. lack of predictive models and assays.  Another barrier is the lack of funding at this key stage. Foundations such as TL12-20 have a unique opportunity to foster collaboration between academics, industry and the government to create a “translational bridge” to cross the valley of death.

There are currently no drugs that reverse or stabilize pulmonary fibrosis. No new drugs have been approved for pulmonary fibrosis since nintedanib (Ofev) and pirfenidone (Esbriet) were approved in 2014. Current animal models, particularly the bleomycin-induced mouse model, do not fully replicate the chronic and progressive nature of human PF.  Human based models such as precision-cut lung slices (PCLS) or cell-based models can be used to better simulate human lung biology.

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We imagine a future state where a general practitioner sees a person who has a family history or is at risk for developing pulmonary fibrosis.  A blood test is taken for specific PF blood biomarkers.  If elevated, an HRCT scan is performed.  Based on the results, a risk score is determined.  People who are determined to be “high risk” are then referred to a pulmonologist for evaluation and follow-up.  A safe effective drug may be administered before fibrosis and symptoms ever develop (similar to how statins are used for cardiovascular health), substantially improving the quality of life for both patients and their families.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a chronic, progressive lung disease where normal lung tissue is replaced with scar tissue (fibrosis). This scarring makes the lungs stiff and thick, which reduces their ability to transfer oxygen into the bloodstream. Over time, people with PF become increasingly short of breath and may need supplemental oxygen.

Pulmonary fibrosis can affect anyone, but risk is higher in people over age 50, those exposed to inhalation of dusts (asbestos, silica, coal), radiation, or certain toxins, or those with a family history of the disease. 

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The challenge is that early symptoms such as shortness of breath, dry persistent cough, and fatigue are often vague, so PF is frequently diagnosed late.  Patients are often misdiagnosed with asthma or COPD, delaying the true diagnosis.  Understanding and identifying early disease will lead to earlier and more accurate diagnosis, and the opportunity to intervene before the patient has lost significant lung function.
 

ILD refers to a group of lung disorders that cause scarring and stiffness in the tissue around the air sacs of the lungs. This makes it harder for oxygen to move into the blood, leading to symptoms like shortness of breath and a dry cough. Some, but not all patients with ILD progress to pulmonary fibrosis.