To first assess whether inhibiting NFATc1-mediated transcription restricted fibroblast activation and limited collagen secretion in IPF lung cultures ex vivo, we treated these diseased lung explants with VIVIT or tacrolimus in the presence or absence of TGF-β for 5 days, followed by qPCR and Western blotting analysis to measure profibrotic gene expression and collagen accumulation, respectively (Supplemental Figure 3, A and B). This evidence concerns the gene NFATC1 and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.