Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an age-related disease with an unrelenting and progressive clinical course. About 5 million people are affected with IPF globally and aged individuals in their 60s and 70s are the most at-risk population. Currently, therapeutic options are limited to two approved medications. Evidence by the research team supports a model in which increased mitochondrial dysfunction, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and UCP2 protein levels contribute IPF disease severity. The Rangarajan lab discloses a method for treating IPF by reducing UCP2 levels in the lung tissue. To do this, the research team has proposed to deliver UCP2 targeting siRNAs by inhalation in order to reduced UCP2 mRNA and protein levels. Local delivery of the siRNA limits systemic toxicity and enhances specificity for treatment. In addition, UCP2 is a novel therapeutic target for age-related lung fibrosis and that a strategy targeting specific gene expression in chronic lung disease using inhaled siRNA does not exist.