Published in Nature Communications on 5 August, the University of Manchester and University of Connecticut team has revealed how a little-known protein helps keep one of the body's most powerful biological signals under tight control. Their findings could eventually help researchers develop new ways to tackle conditions linked to fibrosis, a process in which excessive scar tissue forms in organs and prevents them from working properly. At the centre of the discovery is a signalling molecule called transforming growth factor beta, or TGFβ. However, when there is too much active TGFβ it can trigger the build-up of scar tissue, contributing to a range of serious diseases. The study revealed for the first time how a protein known as latent TGFβ-binding protein 1, or LTBP1, helps build and stabilise this storage complex.