Author Archives: Marta Figueiredo PhD

A team of researchers from the Michigan State University (MSU) College of Human Medicine and Spectrum Health will use a $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance preclinical research on a gene therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF). The four-year award was given to the…

Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 are at a higher risk of hospitalization, a need for intensive care, and kidney injury relative to COVID-19 patients without this disease, according to a large, multi-center study in the U.S. While previous research reported that CF…

The implementation of newborn screening for cystic fibrosis (CF) in the U.S. allowed for early diagnosis and clinical evaluation of affected infants, and reduced rates of serious lung infections and hospitalizations over time, according to data from the first nine years of universal screening. However, early nutritional deficits…

The COVID‐19 pandemic increased socioeconomic instability among people with cystic fibrosis (CF), mostly in terms of employment and ability to afford food, according to data from a single-center U.S. study. Notably, patients who were employed prior to the pandemic appeared to be the most affected, reporting job loss and concerns…

Differences in Psl, a complex sugar molecule produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, contribute to the bacterium’s resistance against the antibiotic tobramycin in children with cystic fibrosis (CF), a study shows. While tobramycin-resistant P. aeruginosa produced similar levels of Psl to those that were effectively eradicated with the antibiotic, its Psl molecules…

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst have developed a new method of RNA production that leads to higher yields and purity of RNA molecules, likely making it more cost-effective than current approaches. Their work may be of importance to the production of RNA-based therapies for cystic fibrosis (CF)…

Assessment, documentation, and education regarding cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD) use among cystic fibrosis (CF) patients varies across centers in the U.S., according to a survey of nearly 300 CF healthcare providers. This variability may be related partially to the different laws between U.S. states regarding these controversial substances, the…

SPL84-23, an investigational antisense oligonucleotide (ASO), restored the levels and function of CFTR — the defective protein in cystic fibrosis (CF) — in lab-grown cells from patients carrying a common and disease-causing splicing mutation, a study reported. Based on these positive preclinical findings, SpliSense plans to launch a Phase 1/2…

Yap and Taz — two proteins involved in lung injury responses and regeneration — suppress the maturation of mucus-producing goblet cells and limit mucus levels in the lungs, according to a study of mice. These findings suggest that promoting Yap/Taz’s activity may be a potential therapeutic approach to limit the…

During adolescence and young adulthood, healthy siblings of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients have to find ways to achieve a balance between the illness of their brother or sister, family organization, and their own needs, a small study in Italy reported. Coping strategies included dampening emotional awareness, normalizing their life…