Magdalena Kegel,  —

Data from the recently completed Phase 2 trial of Resunab (JBT-101) for cystic fibrosis (CF) treatment will be available by March 31, Corbus Pharmaceuticals has announced. The study (NCT02465450) included 85 patients who were treated at CF centers in the United States, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and…

Drugs targeting a component of biofilm — the glue-like layer secreted by bacteria in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients’ lungs — could increase the bacteria’s vulnerability to antibiotics and natural immune reactions, according to a new study. Researchers discovered that a specific carbohydrate in biofilm — Psl — makes it stiffer and,…

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a technique that makes it possible to watch gene-editing processes in real time — which could help them understanding why editing attempts succeed or fail. The team, which received a $1.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is now working to…

A deeper understanding of how a bacterial enzyme works to degrade the protective layer that surrounds bacteria, helping it to adhere to tissues and to grow and spread, may offer new ways of treating persistent Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The study, “Biological function of…

The bacterial species Clostridium difficile is often found in the gut of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, but rarely makes them ill. In those instances, atypical symptoms can delay diagnosis and proper treatment, and may put patients’ lives in jeopardy, a case study of three people who nearly died of Clostridium difficile…

Catabasis Pharmaceuticals’ compound CAT-5571 showed promising effects on CFTR activity (the defective gene/protein in cystic fibrosis) in preclinical models of cystic fibrosis when added to treatment with the drug Orkambi. Whether these results also hold true in humans will soon be answered, as Catabasis plans to launch a Phase…

Protalix BioTherapeutics’ AIR DNase (alidornase alfa), developed to make mucus in the lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients less sticky, showed remarkably good results in an early analysis of a small, proof-of-concept Phase 2 trial (NCT02722122). The inhaled drug is a DNase, an enzyme that works to chop…

The bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which settle in the lungs of most cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, destroy the lungs by perpetuating the inflammation that aims to control invading microbes, according to a study. This contra-intuitive finding demonstrates the power of the mechanisms bacteria use to gain a survival advantage. It also…

People with more severe cystic fibrosis-causing gene mutations tend to have poorer mental health as they age, an effect mediated entirely by their worsening lung health, according to a recent analysis. While exercise was seen to improve the mental health of these patients, it was effective only if it improved…

Researchers may have come one step closer to more effective treatments against Pseudomonas aeruginosa growing in layers known as harmful biofilms. A compound found in soil bacteria prevented the bacteria from forming biofilms, which is a serious health threat to patients with cystic fibrosis. The findings, published in the journal…