Alice Melão, MSc,  —

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School have developed a primary palliative care framework to improve cystic fibrosis (CF) patient care and reduce the symptom burden. This model aims to integrate palliative care with standard CF therapies to promote a positive effect on the long-term quality…

A way of treating drug-resistant bacterial infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) that draws on preventing the bacteria from taking hold in the lung — through the use of histidine kinase inhibitors — was the focus of a recent review. The study, by scientists at Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands, is titled “…

A large Irish study found that patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who have lung infections with both Aspergillus fumigatus (AF) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) have a poor prognosis, compared to those with persistent PA infections. Co-colonization with these two microorganisms may contribute to the damage of the airways of these…

Researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine have developed a helium-based imaging technique to measure how well Kalydeco, which fights mucus build-up in the lungs, is able to help cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. They discovered that it dramatically improved patients’ respiratory function. Helium imaging also can identify…

Novoclem Therapeutics’ lead drug candidate, a nitric oxide-releasing biopolymer, can eliminate nine of the most prevalent microorganisms responsible for severe lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, the Morrisville, N.C., company reported. “Our mission is to arm patients with therapies that treat resistant bacteria and enable them to breathe…

Anti-infective agents such as Mycamine and Coly-mycin M can help prevent formation of Exophiala dermatitidis associated-biofilm structures, commonly found in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, a new study found. The study, “Biofilm formation of the black yeast-like fungus Exophiala dermatitidis and its susceptibility to antiinfective agents,” appeared in…

A recent study has shown that sputum and throat swabs of adult cystic fibrosis (CF) patients can be used to identify Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus lung infections. CF patients frequently suffer from chronic respiratory infections and inflammation, which ultimately can lead to respiratory failure, the major cause of morbidity and…

A research team has developed a new way of specifically and efficiently identifying bacterial infections caused by the Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). This complex is among the most prevalent of bacterial infections detected in CF patients — who are known to be prone to chronic or recurrent lung…