SFTPC (surfactant protein C) is a pulmonary surfactant protein synthesized by alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells that reduces surface tension at the air-liquid interface in alveoli, promoting alveolar stability 1. AT2 cells expressing SFTPC function as long-term alveolar stem cells capable of self-renewal and differentiation into AT1 cells over extended periods 1. SFTPC+ cells maintain alveolar homeostasis through metabolically active surfactant biosynthesis and serve as facultative progenitors for alveolar epithelial regeneration 2. In disease pathology, SFTPC mutations contribute to pulmonary surfactant metabolism dysfunction and pulmonary fibrosis susceptibility 3. AT2 cell dysfunction involving compromised SFTPC processing, impaired quality control mechanisms (unfolded protein response, autophagy, proteasome degradation), and ferroptosis drives the pathophysiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and COPD 45. Clinically, SFTPC gene variants represent heritable risk factors for progressive fibrotic lung disease with prognostic implications 3. Patient-derived AT2 cells with SFTPC mutations can be corrected using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, restoring surfactant processing and providing platforms for disease modeling and potential regenerative therapies 26. These advances highlight SFTPC's critical role in alveolar maintenance and its therapeutic potential as a target for precision medicine in pulmonary fibrosis and obstructive lung diseases.