Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a life threatening, inherited disease of the exocrine glands. The condition primarily affects the digestive and respiratory systems which become clogged with a thick, sticky mucus. Cystic fibrosis is caused by a mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene which results in an excess of salt and water passing into cells, causing a thick, sticky mucus to build up in bodily passageways.

Cystic Fibrosis (CF)

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition that affects the production and flow of mucus within the lungs and digestive system, parts of the body that then become clogged with a thick, sticky mucus.

Cystic Fibrosis Causes

Cystic Fibrosis Symptoms

Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosis

Cystic Fibrosis Treatment

Genetics of Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis Screening

Cystic Fibrosis Questions

Coping With Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis Facts

Cystic Fibrosis Epidemiology

Cystic Fibrosis Prognosis

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Cystic Fibrosis Research

Could CRISPR Repair CFTR in Cystic Fibrosis Patients?

Sweat Test for Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis and Salty Skin

Cystic Fibrosis Evolution

Lung Transplantation for Cystic Fibrosis

Gene Therapy as a Potential Cure for Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic Fibrosis and Infertility

Cystic Fibrosis History

Tests for Cystic Fibrosis During Pregnancy

Latest Cystic Fibrosis News and Research

Bacteria use slimy strategy to defeat antibiotics that fight cystic fibrosis

University of Montana researchers and their partners have discovered a slimy strategy used by bacteria to defeat antibiotics and other drugs used to combat infections afflicting people with cystic fibrosis. The research was published Feb. 23 in the journal Cell Reports.

27 Feb 2021

Repurposed drugs show antiviral SARS-CoV-2 E channel blocking activity, finds study

A new study by researchers at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel reports the discovery of a promising group of E channel inhibitors with significant antiviral activity. This could be developed into new treatment agents for this often-deadly virus.

26 Feb 2021

Rare Disease Day 2021: Raising awareness of childhood dementia

In the lead-up to Rare Diseases Day – on Sunday February 28 - Associate Professor Kim Hemsley’s studies into childhood dementia are helping to unlock answers that can assist treatment of these largely unheralded conditions.

25 Feb 2021

Researchers investigate how CF patients respond to COVID-19

So far, based on clinical data, patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) don't appear to be especially susceptible to COVID-19, and when they do get infected, they don't seem to get sicker. But Ruobing (Ruby) Wang, MD, a physician-scientist in the Division of Pulmonary Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital, cares for patients with CF and thinks there is more to the story.

23 Feb 2021

Levels of IgG antibodies may influence COVID-19 outcomes

COVID-19, the source of the current pandemic, may be caused by a single virus, but it has a variety of presentations that make treatment difficult. Children, for example, almost exclusively experience mild or asymptomatic COVID-19, while adults can develop severe or even fatal COVID-19.

19 Feb 2021

Study reveals how people respond to financial and health uncertainties

A recent qualitative study sheds light on how people cope with health and financial challenges, highlighting the important role that communication plays in these coping strategies.

16 Feb 2021

New mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection reflects features of human infection

Now, a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv server reports the development of a modified mouse model that allows productive SARS-CoV-2 infection of the mouse lungs, as well as the exploration of type I and III interferon responses in this condition.

14 Feb 2021

Novel tool guides evaluation of patients who develop COVID-19 symptoms

When patients arrive in emergency departments and hospitals with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, it's critical to isolate them to avoid the potential spread of infection, but keeping patients isolated longer than needed could delay patient care, take up hospital beds needed for other patients, and unnecessarily use up personal protective equipment.

10 Feb 2021

Inhaling unfragmented hyaluronan improves lung function in COPD patients

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their collaborators found that inhaling unfragmented hyaluronan improves lung function in patients suffering from severe exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

1 Feb 2021

Iron-carrying extracellular vesicles promote viral-bacterial co-infection

The mechanism by which acute viral respiratory infections promote secondary bacterial growth and infection in the airways depends on iron-carrying extracellular sacs secreted by the cells lining the host's airways, report researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in a paper published today in Cell Reports.

26 Jan 2021

Researchers identify genetic risk factors contributing to pneumonia susceptibility and severity

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues have identified genetic factors that increase the risk for developing pneumonia and its severe, life-threatening consequences.

21 Jan 2021

Scientists make new discovery in the quest for novel antibiotics

Scientists who highlighted the bug-busting properties of bacteria in Northern Irish soil have made another exciting discovery in the quest to discover new antibiotics.

15 Jan 2021

New taxonomic classification of non-skeletal rare congenital disorders with impact on bone physiology

Thanks to major progress in the understanding and management of rare congenital diseases and syndromes, many patients with these rare disorders are now living longer lives.

13 Jan 2021

Antifungal drug improves key biomarkers in the noses of patients with cystic fibrosis

A drug widely used to treat fungal infections improved key biomarkers in lung tissue cultures as well as in the noses of patients with cystic fibrosis, a clinical study by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Iowa found.

17 Dec 2020

Regulating a protein channel responsible for transporting chloride across cell membranes

Laboratory cell experiments and computer simulations have revealed molecular mechanisms regulating a protein channel responsible for transporting chloride and other charged molecules across cell membranes.

16 Dec 2020

Possible new antibiotic developed for drug-resistant pulmonary pathogen

Scientists from Johns Hopkins University and Medicine have developed a possible new antibiotic for a pathogen that is notoriously resistant to medications and frequently lethal for people with cystic fibrosis and other lung ailments.

8 Dec 2020

Lipid storm in severe COVID-19 linked to high COX/LOX pathway activity

A potentially valuable new study discusses the role of lipids in the hyper-inflammatory phenomena that take place within the lungs of patients with severe or critical COVID-19. Involving a large variety of specialized lipids with biological activity, this process includes the generation and release of pro and anti-inflammatory lipids.

8 Dec 2020

Researchers use novel technology to prevent destruction of specific proteins inside cells

Columbia researchers have created a new technology using synthetic llama antibodies to prevent specific proteins from being destroyed inside cells.

8 Dec 2020

Study provides new insights into an untreatable form of childhood-onset dementia

Is the eye a window to the brain in Sanfilippo syndrome, an untreatable form of childhood-onset dementia, Australian researchers ask in a new publication.

2 Dec 2020

Repurposed mouse model sheds light on spectrum of COVID-19 disease symptoms

A repurposed mouse model can develop symptoms of both severe COVID-19 (lung damage, blood clots, abnormal blood vessels, and death) and also of milder disease, including loss of the sense of smell, according to a recent University of Iowa study published in Nature.

1 Dec 2020