Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

This year’s Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) Impact Grants will support three new virtual programs that support the well-being of people of all ages living with cystic fibrosis (CF). These winning projects range from a virtual video performance with tailored songs for hospitalized children with CF, to online exercise classes for teenagers,…

Wrinkling on the palm of the hands after a short immersion in water may serve as a fast, easy and inexpensive test for an initial diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF), a study reports. Compared to healthy children in this study, those with CF developed signs of palm wrinkling — swelling,…

Functional residual capacity (FRC), a measure of the volume of air left in the lungs at the end of a normal exhalation, may help detect lung disease in children diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) via newborn screening, a study suggests. Also, a cut-off value of 36 breaths per minute may…

Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with specific variants in the Tensin 1 gene may be at risk of low body mass index (BMI), a measure of nutritional status, if they carry the common CF-causing F508del mutation in both copies of the CFTR gene, a study reports. This makes Tensin 1 (TNS1) a…

Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in adults with cystic fibrosis increases their likelihood of developing CF arthropathy, a painful inflammation of the joints, a German study reported. Additional risk factors for CF arthropathy include older age, female sex, and more severe disease. These findings were published in the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, in…

The nonprofit Cystic Fibrosis Canada has teamed up with technology company iMD Health Global (iMD) to make user-friendly digital health tools for cystic fibrosis (CF) available to both patients and healthcare professionals. The  goal is to boost understanding of the disease and how to best manage it. Through…

A first-of-its-kind, observational study will allow patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) to use their smartphones to monitor the ways in which Trikafta (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor) affects their daily lives. Sponsored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the now-enrolling HERO-2 study (NCT04798014) will collect patients’ self-reported feedback for one year…

Ahead of this year’s Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill, held virtually July 14–22, the EveryLife Foundation will award grants to top advocates of rare disease organizations who participate in the week’s pre-events. The top 50 point-earners will be eligible to win $1,000 to $5,000in  grants, totaling up…

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is linked with changes in the types of cells — including stem cells — that compose the tissue lining the airways, a study reported. Specifically, CF patients show an exhaustion in certain basal cells, progenitor-like cells with the capacity to repair and regenerate damaged lung tissue.

More than half of the people with rare diseases and their caregivers, asked in a survey, were undecided or less than willing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 if a vaccine was approved under emergency use authorization instead of the routine process, the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Disease reports. These findings…