The build-up of thick, sticky mucus and difficulty in clearing away infections in the lungs are some of the detrimental symptoms of cystic fibrosis (CF). Understanding what’s going wrong in the lung and causing these symptoms may give us clues about how best to treat them. This was the topic of our early Strategic Research Centre (SRC) on innovative alternatives to CFTR (INOVCF) led by Dr Mike Gray at the University of Newcastle. Here we look down the microscope into the lining of the lungs to give you an update on their results.
In this Research Blast, we’re looking at Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterial infection that causes serious lung damage in people with cystic fibrosis. Pseudomonas is the most commonly found bacteria in adults with CF and when it gets settled in the lungs it is difficult to treat. We are funding several research groups to find ways of detecting Pseudomonas as quickly as it appears, prevent it from settling in the lungs and understand how its biofilms are built so that they can be destroyed and antibiotics can do their job.
We know that inflammation is overactive in cystic fibrosis (CF), but we don’t understand what causes it to become overactive or how to reduce it. In this issue of Research Blast, we explain some of the questions that Trust-funded researchers are seeking to answer, from strategies to treat excess inflammation to ways of preventing it from becoming overactive in the first place.
Gene editing is a relatively new biological technique that has the potential to treat everyone with cystic fibrosis (CF) in the future. It works by altering the DNA sequence of the CFTR gene to correct mutations within it. In this issue of Research Blast – your guide with a difference to CF research – we delve into some of the details of this technique.
Welcome to the Research Blast, your fun and quirky guide to the latest in CF research. In this issue we’re turning our attention to ‘CFTR’, the gene that causes cystic fibrosis, as this month is the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the gene. Below are three fun facts about the CFTR gene and the CFTR protein that it makes, as well as a look into the research we’re funding to better understand this protein.
On World Diabetes Day, in this issue of Research Blast, our quirky guide to cystic fibrosis (CF) research, we give you the low-down on how the pancreas malfunctions in cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD), and some snippets of what our researchers have found out so far.
Research into cystic fibrosis (CF) lung infections that show resistance to antimicrobial treatments is a top priority for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. In this issue of Research Blast, we explore more about antimicrobial resistance in CF and how we’re working towards overcoming it
Michael Clark, Legacy and In Memory Manager at the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, shares two touching stories of families who have found a special way to remember the loved ones they’ve lost to cystic fibrosis.
