News

People interested in knowing more about gene editing and its therapeutic applications can now download a document prepared by the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT). The document, titled “Therapeutic Gene Editing: An ASGCT White Paper,” is intended as background information for policymakers, patients, and the general public…

A study evaluating the impact of palliative care on patients with serious diseases, such as cystic fibrosis (CF), and their caregivers, found it to improve patients’ quality of life and disease symptoms, and brought a sense of satisfaction to both patients and their caregivers. Palliative care, however, did not improve survival.

Cayston (aztreonam) was deemed the best treatment across a range of parameters in a study comparing inhaled antibiotic treatments against Pseudomonas  (P.) aeruginosa lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). But the study also demonstrated that Quinsair (levofloxacin inhalation solution) came in as a good second, improving lung function better than…

Researchers have found that a “swimming”  movement by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the bacteria most commonly associated with lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, triggers an immune response against the pathogen, according to a new study. Its findings may help in targeting therapies to resolve lung infection in CF. The study, “Swimming Motility Mediates…

Blocking mucus absorption in the airways through the use of certain agents can strengthen an innate airway mechanism, called mucociliary clearance (MCC), that is often impaired in lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF). The study, “Marked increases in mucociliary clearance produced by synergistic secretory agonists or inhibition of the epithelial sodium…

Children diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) months after their birth have worse clinical outcomes than those diagnosed as newborns, a study reports. Its authors argue for improvements in CF diagnostic programs to detect these cases in infants as early as possible. The study, “Differences In Outcomes Between Early And Late Diagnosis Of Cystic Fibrosis…

Pharmaxis has entered into a research collaboration with the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, to develop an inhalation therapy that combines Pharmaxis’ Orbital Inhaler with a dry powder formulation of the antibiotic tobramycin. The resulting therapy is intended for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Scientists at the University of Queensland, Australia, are focusing their efforts on what is one of world’s leading sources of antibiotic resistance — biofilm. Biofilms refer to the communities of bacteria and other microorganisms that adhere to surfaces in thin layers and secrete a protective coating that diminishes the effects of antibiotics. Biofilms are considered…

An infection caused by Mycobacterium abscessus, a species of multi-drug resistant mycobacteria, is a growing threat to cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, researchers in the U.K. warn. The infection shows signs of being increasingly contagious, and increasingly virulent. The study reporting on the bacterium — which can cause severe pneumonia and has been…

Enterprise Therapeutics recently announced that it has closed a £4 million (about $5 million) financing deal to accelerate the development of three new treatments  — all muco-regulatory therapies — for cystic fibrosis (CF), particularly, but also for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and severe asthma. “Respiratory disease remains an area of high unmet medical…