First rate collaboration between clinicians and research scientists in a multiplicity of fields have brought new hope to patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). The gene, mutations of which give rise to the disease, has been exhaustively mapped, and the functional defects are becoming steadily clearer. Diagnosis is continually being improved and simplified. Neonatal screening has been introduced in many countries and has yielded good results. Promising new advances in treatment include inhalatory DNase (deoxyribonuclease), lung and liver transplantation, UDCA (ursodeoxycholic acid) against cirrhosis, and in vitro fertilisation for men with CF. Pseudomonas species are being combatted more and more effectively with new antibiotics, with immunoglobulins (IgY) for prophylaxis, and possibly new vaccines to come. Future treatment strategies, designed to correct anomalies of cellular biology, are already undergoing clinical trials, and gene therapy using a variety of vectors is undergoing phase-1 trials. A definitive cure remains a realistic hope.
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Lancet
January 2025
Centre for Inflammatory Disease, Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK; Imperial College Renal and Transplant Centre, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK. Electronic address:
Background: In the UK, booster COVID-19 vaccinations have been recommended biannually to people considered immune vulnerable. We investigated, at a population level, whether the absence of detectable anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein IgG antibody (anti-S Ab) following three or more vaccinations in immunosuppressed individuals was associated with greater risks of infection and severity of infection.
Methods: In this prospective cohort study using UK national disease registers, we recruited participants with solid organ transplants (SOTs), rare autoimmune rheumatic diseases (RAIRDs), and lymphoid malignancies.
J Biol Chem
January 2025
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA. Electronic address:
Carboxyl-terminus of Hsp70-Interacting Protein (CHIP) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that marks misfolded substrates for degradation. Hyper-activation of CHIP has been implicated in multiple diseases, including cystic fibrosis and cancer, suggesting that it may be a potential drug target. However, there are few tools available for exploring this possibility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Pharm
January 2025
CIDETEC, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Gipuzkoa, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain; Kusudama Therapeutics SA, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Gipuzkoa, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain; Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute, Group of Innovation, 20014 San Sebastian, Spain.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by abnormal mucus hydration due to a defective CF Transmembrane Regulator (CFTR) protein, leading to the production of difficult-to-clear mucus. This causes airflow obstruction, recurrent infections, and respiratory complications. Chronic lung infections are the leading cause of death for CF patients and inhaled tobramycin is the first-in-line antibiotic treatment against these infections, mainly caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in adult patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceutics
January 2025
School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
This paper presents a comprehensive review of the current literature, clinical trials, and products approved for the delivery of antibiotics to the lungs. While there are many literature reports describing potential delivery systems, few of these have translated into marketed products. Key challenges remaining are the high doses required and, for powder formulations, the ability of the inhaler and powder combination to deliver the dose to the correct portion of the respiratory tract for maximum effect.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
January 2025
Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA.
The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is an anion channel that is dysfunctional in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). The permeability of CFTR can be experimentally manipulated though different mechanisms, including activation via inducing the phosphorylation of residues in the regulatory domain as well as altering the gating/open probability of the channel. Phosphorylation/activation of the channel is achieved by exposure to compounds that increase intracellular cAMP, with forskolin and IBMX commonly used for this purpose.
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