Elastin in healthy and diseased lung.

Elastic fibers are an essential part of the pulmonary extracellular matrix (ECM). Intact elastin is required for normal function and its damage contributes profoundly to the etiology and pathology of lung disease. This highlights the need for novel lung-specific imaging methodology that enables high-resolution 3D visualization of the ECM. We consider elastin's involvement in chronic respiratory disease and examine recent methods for imaging and modeling of the lung in the context of advances in lung tissue engineering for research and clinical application.