In a recent experimental study, the investigators showed that the growth factor Activin A is expressed in the lungs of rats with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) at levels that are comparable with those determined in the bronchoalveolar (BAL) lavage fluid from patients with ARDS. In the same study, the administration of the Activin A inhibitor Folistatin resulted in attenuation of the histological damage of the ARDS-afflicted rat lung.