Margarida Maia, PhD,  science writer—

Starting treatment with the CFTR modulator Orkambi (lumacaftor/ivacaftor) early in life may provide long-term benefits for children with cystic fibrosis (CF), yet lung function improvements may be temporary, according to a real-world study from Hungary. The study, “Body composition changes and clinical outcomes in pediatric cystic fibrosis…

After one year of treatment with Kaftrio, a triple combination of elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor marketed as Trikafta in the U.S., the number of harmful bacteria growing in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) declined significantly, a French study reports. “We observed a significant decrease in…

Dosing has begun in a Phase 2 clinical study testing ARCT-032, an experimental inhaled treatment Arcturus Therapeutics is developing for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, including those who don’t benefit from CFTR modulators. The LunairCF study (NCT06747858) is recruiting adults with a diagnosis of CF who are…

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which helps people accept feelings and adjust behavior, was better than supportive psychotherapy for adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) facing mental health challenges, a small study found. In the trial (NCT04114227) sponsored by Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and with sessions conducted online,…

Rostra Therapeutics has launched a research project with the support of funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Antimicrobial Resistance (CF AMR) Syndicate that seeks to identify new small molecules that can destroy fungi or stop them from growing and causing infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Rostra…

Airway epithelial cells carrying mutations that cause cystic fibrosis (CF) become more loosely connected when grown in the lab in the presence of insulin and high amounts of sugar, a study found, suggesting that CF-related diabetes may weaken the barrier that normally protects the airway tract. Researchers working at…

Bacterial ecotin has the potential to reduce lung damage in cystic fibrosis (CF) by inhibiting the activity of an enzyme called neutrophil elastase without affecting the immune system’s ability to fight off infections, researchers found. Because the findings come from a small number of patient samples, “future work will…

Cells from the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) are less susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19-causing virus, than those of people with other lung diseases, but they respond similarly to the influenza A virus, a study found. Restoring function to CFTR, the protein that’s faulty or…

Mucus-producing cells in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) have lower levels of ST3Gal1, an enzyme that sugarcoats mucus to make it less thick and sticky, but treatment with Trikafta can partly restore the enzyme and make mucus easier to clear away. The findings, from a study led by…

Gene therapy was found to work as well as a combination of the three CFTR modulators in Trikafta to restore the function to the CFTR protein, which is faulty in cystic fibrosis (CF), with the potential to work for all patients, regardless of their disease-causing mutation. That’s according…