Steve Bryson, PhD,  science writer—

Infants with cystic fibrosis (CF) have alterations to the nasal microbiome — the community of microbes that live in the nose — in the first year of life, a new study has discovered. These alterations, seen in newborns with CF but not in infants without the genetic disease, may…

About half of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) had breathing difficulties during sleep a year after a lung transplant, although the severity was mild, according to the first study to address the issue. Older age, being male, and having smaller static lung volume, which is when there is no…

Treatment with Kalydeco (ivacaftor) reduces the number of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria in the lungs during an acute infection, but not during a chronic infection, a study using a rat model of cystic fibrosis (CF) indicates. Kalydeco led to better outcomes, including weight gain, increased CFTR protein function, and…

Researchers discovered a molecule that may help deliver gene therapies to cells in the thick mucus environment of the cystic fibrosis (CF) lung, a study reported. Since thick mucus makes gene delivery to the CF lung a significant challenge, “we are encouraged by these results and anticipate that our…

Since its approval in 2019, treatment with Trikafta has markedly reduced the number of lung transplants among people in the U.S. with cystic fibrosis (CF), with more than 35 patients removed from a transplant waitlist the year after the therapy was approved, according to a new analysis. Moreover,…

People with cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) have lower pancreatic production of the GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1R), a protein that binds the hormone GLP-1 and triggers insulin secretion, a study reported. “Signaling of GLP-1 (and its ability to enhance insulin secretion) may be impaired as a result of reduced GLP-1R availability,”…

A more rapid decline in lung function in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) has been linked in a new study to high sputum levels of a virus that infects the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is a major contributor to lung disease in CF. The virus, called Pseudomonas filamentous…

Although parents of children with cystic fibrosis (CF) recognize the benefits of their children getting physical activity in schools, they see certain barriers in the school setting as preventing daily exercise for their children. Teachers’ misconceptions about CF, a failure to prioritize physical activity, and the physical limitations of…

Chronic infection with the hepatitis E virus (HEV) may be linked to pig-derived pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) who underwent lung transplants, a study found. CF patients in general had disproportionately higher rates of antibodies against HEV, regardless of transplant status, and…

People with cystic fibrosis (CF) experience a more severe disease course when they continue to have a small hole between the heart’s upper chambers that fails to close naturally after birth, a study suggests. The hole, called patent foramen ovale (PFO), in CF patients was linked to more…