Gal-3 is elevated in the plasma and broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALf) of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) (Nishi et al., 2007; MacKinnon et al., 2012), and is further upregulated in the plasma of patients undergoing an acute exacerbation of IPF (AE-IPF) (MacKinnon et al., 2012). Here, LGALS3 is linked to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.