Cystic Fibrosis Trust invests over £1.3m towards achieving our research goals

Cystic fibrosis lung disease is characterised by repeated cycles of infection and inflammation that cause lung damage. Despite several decades of work, we don’t understand inflammation in CF, how best to measure it, or how to treat it. The Defining the Inflammatory Environment in CF (DEFINE-CF) Strategic Research Centre (SRC), led by Professor Robert Gray at the University of Glasgow, will address these knowledge gaps. 

In this SRC, Prof Gray and colleagues aim to use a new cutting-edge technology called spatial mapping alongside other methods to learn more about inflammation in people with CF. They will be able to see which cells in the lungs of people with CF are involved in inflammation and how they talk to each other. These studies will provide important information on how to treat lung inflammation in CF in the future. Their findings will add insight into managing and treating inflammation in people with CF throughout the body.

The DEFINE-CF SRC will highlight potential ways to develop new treatments for inflammation in CF. It brings together an international grouping of experts in CF and lung inflammation to address this challenge, and we are incredibly grateful to Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the CF community for supporting us in this work

Professor Robert Gray, University of Glasgow

Thank you

Thank you to Mr and Mrs Reid for their generous legacy towards the cost of the DEFINE-CF SRC programme, given in loving memory of their sons Stuart and Scott who both had CF.

Infections caused by bacteria in the Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) cause dangerous lung infections for people with CF. The infections are particularly difficult to treat with antibiotics due to antimicrobial resistance. Bacteriophages or ‘phages’ are viruses that can kill bacteria and may be an effective way to treat lung infections in people with CF as an alternative to antibiotics. Early career researcher Dr Jessica Lewis, based at the University of Leicester, has been awarded Development Award funding to further explore exciting preliminary results from lab-based studies investigating new phage treatments for BCC.

I hope that my research will optimise phage treatments for BCC lung infections in people with CF and provide a more streamlined and faster access to phage treatments for those who really need them. On a personal note, it gives me the opportunity to do research in the memory of a friend I lost to CF

Dr Jessica Lewis, University of Leicester

The successful modulator therapies are based on correcting faults in the CF protein. While they significantly improve the daily lives of many people with CF, they are not a cure and not every person with CF can benefit from them. There’s still more to find out about the faulty CF protein. James Charlick, based at the University of Bristol, will use his Early Career Research Development Award to explore the implications of new insights into how the CF protein works at a microscopic level. The knowledge gained from these studies could lead to the improvement of existing modulator therapies and the development of new therapies for a wider range of genetic defects that cause CF.

This funding is a really important step in my career, offering the opportunity to improve as a researcher and develop exciting new collaborations. During my PhD, I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting members of the CF community. Their determination, passion and resolve inspires me to understand more about the root cause of this disease. In this way, I hope to help find effective therapies for every person with CF

James Charlick, University of Bristol