News

All mice with cystic fibrosis that received iclaprim for a pneumonia infection survived, according to a study. Motif Bio reported the finding, which involved the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, and the results of another preclinical-trial study at the IDWeek 2017 conference in San Diego, Oct. 4-8. Iclaprim is designed to kill bacteria that develop resistance…

Experiments in live pigs show that the genetic mutation that causes cystic fibrosis (CF) prevents secretion of airway surface liquid when bacteria enter the lungs — a mechanism that may, at least in part, explain why CF patients are not able to ward off bacterial infections. Researchers at the…

A research team at Imperial College London (ICL) has developed a quick, cheap method to detect the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in sputum samples collected from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Using small engineered DNA circuits called cell-free biosensors, the method reveals molecules specifically produced by P. aeruginosa. When…

Researchers have identified a signal that controls when lung bacteria in cystic fibrosis patients start producing biofilm — a sticky secretion that protects them from attack and makes the bacteria virtually impossible to get rid of. Since the signal suppresses bacteria’s biofilm-making machinery, the finding could lead to treatments that…

A cystic fibrosis expert will be among more than 80 speakers at this month’s Rare Disease & Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit in Washington. The nonprofit National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) will be hosting the sixth annual event Oct. 16-17 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. It is expected to attract…

Researchers have discovered that the Bpifb1 gene plays an important role in controlling levels of a mucin protein called MUC5B, one of the main components of mucus. This means that the gene also plays a crucial role in protecting the body’s airways. The team found that deleting the Bpifb1 gene in…

Women with diabetes associated with cystic fibrosis (CF) do not risk their disease worsening by becoming pregnant. Their children also are not affected by the presence of diabetes, according to a study by researchers at the University of Lyon in France. The only significant difference the study found between…

Preclinical data shows that AB-PA01 can reduce biofilms produced by the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a major cause of lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients, scientists report. The study,  “Activity of Bacteriophages in Removing Biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients,”…

EBX-001, which consists of two bacteria-fighting compounds, eliminates persistent drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis patients better than the antibiotic component of the therapy alone, a study reports. The treatment candidate’s developer, EnBiotix, published the results in Antimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. The article was…

The benefits of current therapies to treat cystic fibrosis (CF) are limited, so scientists are exploring new strategies based on increasing the expression and activity of alternative chloride channels, such as the ANO1 channel. In a new study, researchers have advanced a potential therapeutic strategy to restore cells’ normal functioning…