Steve Bryson, PhD, science writer —

Elevated levels of the pro-inflammatory signaling protein galectin-3 in the bloodstream of children with clinically stable cystic fibrosis (CF) significantly correlated with worse lung function, according to a study. The findings suggest galectin-3 may serve as a noninvasive biomarker to predict lung disease outcomes in children with CF, the…

A protein secreted into the airways, called SPLUNC1, may be a sensitive biomarker of both mild pulmonary exacerbations and treatment response in children with cystic fibrosis (CF), a study suggested. Data showed that SPLUNC1 levels in patients’ sputum were low during an exacerbation, then significantly rose after oral and,…

Children with cystic fibrosis (CF) who began taking Orkambi (lumacaftor/ivacaftor) between ages 2 and 5 showed improved height, weight, and body fat content compared with matched patients who hadn’t yet received modulator therapies, a real-world study reports. There was also a 50% decline in the number of pulmonary…

Zinc may be key to reducing bacterial infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF), researchers at the University of Queensland have found. They discovered that defects in the CFTR protein, the underlying cause of CF, interfered with the bacteria-killing function of immune cells known as macrophages. They were able…

A European Medicines Agency (EMA) committee recommends extending the label for Kalydeco (ivacaftor) to children with cystic fibrosis (CF) as young as a month who carry at least one CFTR gating mutation. If the European Commission (EC) accepts the endorsement by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human…

A pooled analysis of data from multiple clinical trials of more than 1,100 people with cystic fibrosis (CF) confirms Trikafta effectively improves lung function, sweat chloride levels, and health-related quality of life. “Further monitoring and assessment of the safety profile of [Trikafta]…

The first volunteer has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating SION-109, an experimental oral treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF), as announced by Sionna Therapeutics, the therapy’s developer. After receiving the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the trial has enrolled healthy volunteers to…

Various social and environmental factors in different locations across the U.S. influenced a decline in lung function among adolescents and young adults with cystic fibrosis (CF), a large-scale analysis demonstrated. CF patients with early lung function decline tended to live in areas with more social-environmental adversity, such as higher…

The total cost of managing cystic fibrosis (CF) — healthcare costs, patient and caregiver costs, as well as costs to society — varied widely per patient per year in a review of published studies. Most studies only reported costs to the healthcare system, such as hospitalizations and healthcare visits,…

At-home telemonitoring of lung function in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) can detect the early onset of pulmonary exacerbations, or a sudden worsening of lung symptoms, and may help in determining the likelihood of a child’s response to treatment, a study reported. Its researchers proposed thresholds for lung function…