Steve Bryson, PhD,  science writer—

Scientists have discovered a potential therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients who are infected with Mycobacterium abscessus, a bacterium that can cause serious lung infections. They found that a signaling molecule called PI5P can boost the antimicrobial activity of immune cells isolated from patients against the bacterium. This happens even…

A personalized inhaled phage therapy targeting multidrug-resistant lung infections significantly reduces bacterial load and improves lung function in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to a small study. The experimental therapy was personalized by selecting phages that worked best against Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains in patients’ sputum samples. It…

Ivacaftor, a component of the triple-combination therapy Trikafta, is essential to restore mucus clearance in people with cystic fibrosis (CF), a study reports. The study was launched after previous work using CF airway cells suggested that long-term exposure to ivacaftor limited the restoration of CFTR, the protein…

Metered-dose inhalers that use potent greenhouse gases to propel medicines into the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) have the worst environmental impact across all types of inhalers, according to a new study from researchers in Spain. The team noted that propellants in metered-dose inhalers are hydrofluorocarbons, potent…

At least three months of Kaftrio treatment reduced liver stiffness, an indicator of liver fibrosis, in school-age children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to a real-world study in Sweden. The benefits were particularly prominent among children who had signs of CF-related liver disease (CFLD) before starting Kaftrio,…

Long-term Trikafta treatment led to improved lung function, fewer respiratory symptoms, and lower sweat chloride levels — elevated levels are a key hallmark of cystic fibrosis (CF) — in children with CF, ages 6 to 11, according to new findings from a two-year extension study. Trikafta was…

The European Commission has approved a label expansion for Kaftrio in combination with Kalydeco (ivacaftor) to treat cystic fibrosis (CF) caused by a wider range of mutations. The decision follows a positive endorsement by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, a branch of the…

Evidence of immune dysfunction — elevated levels of immune cells and immune-related molecules — were found in the lungs of preschool children with cystic fibrosis (CF), even among kids without CF-related lung infections, a new study showed. Treatment with Kalydeco (ivacaftor), but not Orkambi (ivacaftor/lumacaftor), partially restored…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to Porosome Therapeutics’ new treatment strategy for cystic fibrosis (CF), which is based on the porosome, a type of cellular structure. The designation is given to boost the development of therapies for rare diseases, which affect…

Nearly 80% of men with cystic fibrosis (CF) who underwent fertility treatment due to a lack of sperm became biological parents, according to the largest study of its kind. “Assisted reproductive technologies have removed many limitations to parenthood for CF males,” researchers wrote in the study “…