The described invention provides compositions and methods for reducing lung allograft dysfunction after lung transplant and for treating a severe pulmonary fibrosis characterized by aberrant fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition in a tissue of a subject. The methods comprise administering to a subject in need thereof a composition comprising an antibody component comprising a therapeutic amount of an anti-CD44 antibody and an MK2 inhibitor component comprising a therapeutic amount of an MK2 inhibitor (MK2i) polypeptide of amino acid sequence YARAAARQARAKALARQLGVAA (SEQ ID NO: 1) or at least one peptide functionally equivalent to the therapeutic domain thereof selected from a polypeptide of amino acid sequence KALARQLAVA (SEQ ID NO: 8), a polypeptide of amino acid sequence KALARQLGVA (SEQ ID NO: 9) and a polypeptide of aminoacid sequence KALARQLGVAA (SEQ ID NO: 2), or a functional equivalent thereof, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
