TrIFIC: Targeting Immunotherapy for Fungal Infection in Cystic Fibrosis

Improving the immune response to Aspergillus infections in cystic fibrosis

The Trific research group (www.trific.org) is looking at how a fungal infection, called Aspergillus fumigatus affects people with CF. This fungus is found in the environment, in soil and warm, moist environments, so we breathe it in every day. As an opportunist bug, it settles in mucus trapped in the airways, which is the perfect environment for it to survive. If allowed to grow, Aspergillus can cause acute or chronic infection or an allergic reaction within the airways.



We want to understand better how airway disease caused by this fungus affects people with CF, and how the body’s defence system (your immune system) interacts with the fungus. Then we can find better treatments for it.



We are recruiting people with cystic fibrosis to the study, where blood, urine and sputum/cough swab samples will be collected for analysis. Participants will also be asked for permission to access some of their clinical data, such as spirometry, medications and number of antibiotics used.



A series of investigations will be carried out on the samples that we receive, so that researchers can identify differences in people’s immune systems that make some people more susceptible to infection. This will involve a genetic analysis of the immune system and the CF-causing gene.