“Doing research in science is a privilege”: Professor Pietro Cicuta
Can you tell us what your research is all about?
My research is about applying my knowledge of physics to understand what is happening in the lungs of people with CF. In particular I study mucus clearance – to understand this my research group and collaborators study the properties and movement of tiny hairs on the surface of lung cells called cilia as well as the properties of mucus.
As a physicist I’m interested in how big things are and how long things take, and how to measure this. It can be challenging to keep track of everything that is happening during lung clearance, which makes it an exciting area of research to work in.
Mucus clearance is affected by very tiny things that are measured in nanometres such as the chemical calcium moving across the cell boundary – which can’t be seen by the naked eye; to the much larger scale of mucus being transported from bottom of the lungs to the throat. Its like trying to accurately measure the diameter of tennis ball with the same method as measuring something ten times bigger than the sun – it can’t be done, so new methods are needed.
How could your research benefit people with CF in the future?
Mucus clearance can be affected by lots of different things, from the range of movement and the speed of the cilia, the thickness and stretchy-ness of mucus, to the presence of inflammation and bugs trapped in the mucus.
I've been coordinating a Strategic Research Centre (SRC) funded by Cystic Fibrosis Trust, and I am also involved in a research project funded by UKRI on airway infections. Across these two projects, alongside people in the team who come from very different disciplines (biology, physics, engineering, medicine), we try to understand all of the above, and how one aspect can make another better or worse, with the hope that we can learn to unravel some of these adverse effects and improve mucus clearance.
In my own lab, I am trying to understand what are the range of mucus properties that will lead to a good clearance from the cilia. Broadly speaking, we know that there is poor clearance if the mucus is either too runny or too thick, but it also has elastic (stretchy) properties. We don't know the right combination of thickness and stretch. This is important to discover if drugs are doing the right job of resetting mucus. More generally, developing tools for better lab research on CF cells, and how they respond to drugs, contributes to understanding CF better and this can mean new or improved treatments.
Why did you want to become a researcher?
Doing research in science is a privilege. You are paid to solve interesting problems. You get to use or even develop new technology, and you get a buzz when you realise something that was not known before has suddenly become clear. In the case of CF research, there is the added motivation that the research can have a tangible and positive impact on people with CF.
When did you start working in CF research?
I had been working on cilia from a physics perspective since around 2014, so the specific properties of the CF mucus were known to me. It was in 2019 that, along with others in Cambridge, we decided to try and run an interdisciplinary and cross-national project to probe the mucus when it is still on the surface of cells (previously mucus hadn’t been studied in this way). This was funded by the Trust as an SRC. Since then I count myself as a CF researcher, and I have tried to entice as many early career researchers as possible to become interested in science questions that relate to CF.
What do you love most about working in research?
My job is now most of the time away from the lab bench. I recruit and advise researchers with a range of experience, from undergraduates to PhD students to post-doc researchers. Choosing these teams is fun, and I enjoy getting to know people and helping them develop their careers.
I also spend a lot of time making plans for future research. These days, the success rate of grant applications at the national research councils is somewhere between 10 and 20%. It means that you have to write quite a few projects to have a chance of getting the funds. Without these funds, it's impossible to run a research activity in a university in the UK. I like this side too, although it's stressful.
Ultimately, it's the discoveries we make which motivate all the day-to-day work. Seeing other people use and build on your discoveries is also a great feeling.
How has the Trust supported your career so far?
The SRC grant in 2019 from the Trust was absolutely amazing as a chance to tackle CF from a multi-disciplinary perspective, with a team from across the globe. That project has led to good papers and everyone in the team, including myself, has learnt a huge amount about CF and airway physiology.
What are your hopes for the future of CF research?
I think CF still holds a lot of mysteries that are worth addressing. The new modulator drugs have greatly benefitted many people with CF, but not all, and we do not know much about their long-term efficacy or possible side effects. Many of the questions that are key in CF, such as limiting and controlling bacterial infections, are also big challenges in medicine more generally. I think CF research needs the input of researchers from a variety of backgrounds.
Read more about Pietro’s research
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic condition which causes sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system. It affects more than 11,000 people in the UK. One in 25 of us carries the faulty gene that causes it, usually without knowing.
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