Dr. Imre Noth is an expert on pulmonary fibrosis or scarring of the lungs. We don’t know what causes it, but he says it’s a miserable way to go.

“It’s a scarring disease, so the lung gets stiffer and smaller. It’s a lot harder to breathe, and if you can’t breathe, nothing else matters.”

Fortunately, he and his colleagues report that in about a quarter of patients with the disease – people who have a certain genetic variant – treatment with a common nutritional supplement – N-acetyl cysteine – is not only effective but affordable.

“The two drugs that are out there right now cost you $100 grand a year each, and N-acetyl cysteine, that’s $35 a month.”

The discovery came when computer analysis compared treatment records with patients’ genetic make-up. To confirm that this substance will prevent lung scarring, Noth is now working with doctors at 26 other universities. They recently won a $22 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and hope to have findings by 2026.