In vitro and in vivo data were also confirmed by the analysis of Gas6/TAM pathway activation in patients suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a disease characterized by lung parenchyma deterioration where an elevated Gas6/Axl expression, along with an elevated Axl phosphorylation, could be observed in lung tissues [52,55]. Here, AXL is linked to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.