News

CFTR Mutations Impair SARS-CoV-2 Virus, Study Finds

CFTR gene mutations — the cause of cystic fibrosis (CF) — significantly reduce the cell entry and replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, a new study reports. This protective effect was due to the link between the CFTR protein channel and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2), a protein…

CFTR Modulators Found to Improve Antibiotic Efficacy in CF: Study

CFTR modulators, approved therapies to treat cystic fibrosis (CF), showed antibacterial activity and enhanced the efficacy of some antibiotics against bacterial species commonly found in CF airways, according to a new study. “Additive effects or synergies were observed between the CFTR modulators and antibiotics against [two common] species” of…

CF Children With Higher BMI at Risk for Asymptomatic C. difficile

A higher body mass index (BMI) and recent exposure to certain antibiotics are risk factors for asymptomatic intestinal colonization with Clostridioides difficile in children with cystic fibrosis (CF), a new study suggests. The study, “Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Sequelae of Asymptomatic Clostridioides difficile Colonization in Children with Cystic…

KB407 Earns Orphan Drug Status in Europe

The European Commission (EC) has granted orphan drug designation to KB407, Krystal Biotech’s potential inhaled gene therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF). Orphan drug status is intended to encourage the development of therapies for rare, life-threatening, or chronically debilitating conditions, through a series of benefits, such as 10 years of market exclusivity…

Gut-lung Axis Likely in CF, High-fat Diet May Drive Inflammation

Children with cystic fibrosis (CF) show significant differences from healthy children in the quality of their food choices and, subsequently, the microbes in their gut and respiratory tract, with evidence of greater intestinal inflammation in these young patients, a recent study in Australia found. Certain microbes in the gut associated…