Patricia Inácio, PhD,  science writer—

Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in Australia age 12 and older, who have two copies of the F508del mutation in the CFTR gene (a copy inherited from each parent), now can be treated with Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Symdeko (tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor). The treatment also was approved for any mutation in the CFTR gene that responds to Symdeko based on lab…

Tobramycin, an antibiotic commonly used against Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, reduces the bacteria’s load of virulence factors that impair the function of the CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) protein, a new study shows. The study, “Tobramycin reduces key virulence determinants in the proteome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa outer membrane vesicles,” was published in the journal…

Frazier Healthcare Partners has launched a new biopharmaceutical company called Recida Therapeutics, which will develop new therapies for serious antibiotic-resistant infections, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the leading cause of lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. RC-01 is Recida’s lead therapy candidate for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, a group of…

Adults with cystic fibrosis, compared with healthy individuals, have poorer diet quality and increased accumulation of visceral adipose tissue, which is associated with higher sugar intake and fasting glucose levels, a study reports. The study, “Visceral adipose tissue is associated with poor diet quality and higher fasting glucose in adults…

Throughout the past year, Cystic Fibrosis News Today has brought you daily coverage of important discoveries, treatment developments, clinical trials, and other events related to cystic fibrosis (CF). As we look forward to bringing you more news in 2019, we would like to present you with the 10 most-read stories of 2018.

Researchers at West Virginia University (WVU) are working to develop a vaccine against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the highly treatment-resistant bacteria that are a frequent cause of chronic lung infection and damage in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. P. aeruginosa is considered a serious health threat by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) because of its…

Kalydeco (ivacaftor) by Vertex Pharmaceuticals has been approved in the European Union for children ages 1-2 with cystic fibrosis (CF) who carry at least one of nine mutations in the CFTR gene — G551D, G1244E, G1349D, G178R, G551S, S1251N, S1255P, S549N, or S549R — that prevent the CFTR chloride channel from working properly. “For the first time, EU physicians can now treat the…

Rice University researchers are using a virus that infects moths and magnetic nanoparticles to develop a new vehicle for the delivery of CRISPR/Cas9, a genome-editing tool, with high efficiency and tissue specificity in vivo. CRISPR/Cas9 has gained attention as a potential tool to correct genetic defects linked to diseases…

Synspira’s inhaled SNSP113 candidate therapy against bacterial biofilms in the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) has received orphan drug status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The buildup of mucus in CF patients’ organs, including the lungs, promotes the development of bacterial biofilms — aggregates of bacteria that adhere…

Adding bicarbonate, a salt, to the culture medium of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, two of the most common bacteria underlying lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF), impairs the bacteria’s growth, a study shows. This finding supports the potential use of inhaled bicarbonate as a therapy for…