Investing in your research priorities: Trust announces £1.3m of new research funding

The funding is for three research awards:

• a Strategic Research Centre award to Professor Andres Floto to develop new treatments for the devastating lung infections caused by Mycobacterium abscessus (an NTM bacteria)

• a Development Award to Dr Ildem Akerman and Dr Victoria Salem to investigate a new way of treating CF diabetes 

• a Development Award to Dr Mike Gray to explore a newly found activator of the CF protein in the lung in more detail.

Developing new treatments for M. abscessus

M. abscessus infections cause greater lung damage for people with CF than other chronic infections, such as those caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is a very difficult infection to treat and the antibiotics used have very severe side effects. 

In an £800,000 Strategic Research Award, University of Cambridge-based Prof. Floto and colleagues will explore better ways to use existing antibiotics and explore innovative new ways to treat these infections.

Prof. Floto said: “There is an urgent need to find new antibiotics for M. abscessus. This Award will allow us to build on over 10 years of Trust-funded research to discover the best way to use existing antibiotics in combination, to generate new compounds ourselves with industry partners, and to create totally new methods to develop antibiotics. Our approaches should have immediate impacts on people with CF and provide hope for the future in tackling this infection.”

Could beta cell transplants work for CF diabetes?

Beta cells are the cells that produce insulin, a hormone important for regulating blood sugars. In other forms of diabetes, researchers are exploring whether lab-grown beta cell transplants could be used as a treatment. If it works, it could mean that people with CF might not have to take insulin in the future.

Dr Akerman from University of Birmingham and Dr Victoria Salem from King’s College London have been awarded a £300,000 Development Award to explore whether this could be a feasible approach to treat CF diabetes.

Dr Ildem Akerman said: “We hope that our research will lead to more inclusive and personalised treatments for cystic fibrosis-related diabetes. We’re very excited to get started.”

How can a better understanding of chemicals in the lungs help people with CF?

New results have shown that a natural chemical called succinate is linked to the CF protein and could have an important role in keeping the lungs healthy. But exactly what succinate does in the lungs is poorly understood.

In a £275,300 Development Award, Principal Investigator Dr Mike Gray at Newcastle University and an international team of colleagues will conduct more detailed studies. They want to understand how succinate acts on the CF protein, which type of cells in the lining of the lungs are involved and whether succinate could also be involved in lung inflammation and fibrosis. Greater knowledge could lead to the prevention of and recovery from CF-related lung symptoms in the future.

Dr Mike Gray said: “We are extremely grateful to Cystic Fibrosis Trust for this Development Award.  This new research is vital and may lead to a better understanding of what drives bacterial colonisation, lung fibrosis, and inflammation in the CF lung, which could eventually lead to the development of new approaches to help reduce lung damage in all people with CF.”

Despite improvements in treatments, cystic fibrosis is still a cruel condition without a cure and there is still so much more to do to stop CF damaging and shortening lives. 

Our generous partners and donors are helping us to fund these research awards and harness world-class research to help improve the quality of life for people with CF. We need your help to fund more research, speed up progress, and make sure everyone with CF can live a life unlimited. 

Donate here.