Friday, 29 March, 2024
HomePulmonologyMedical student makes cystic fibrosis breakthrough

Medical student makes cystic fibrosis breakthrough

A medical student on work experience has made a breakthrough in cystic fibrosis research that will improve treatment and could extend sufferers’ life expectancy. [s]The Independent[/s] reports that Jo Armstead spent hundreds of hours at [b]Wythenshawe Hospital[/b] in [b]Manchester[/b] over the summer using data from 30 countries to examine the link between the debilitating lung condition and the aspergillus fungus. She found that of more than 75,000 people with the genetic disorder studied, half had been infected with aspergillus. Professor David Denning, who worked with Jo as the director of the [b]NHS National Aspergillosis Centre[/b], said although the life expectancy of people with cystic fibrosis has been increasing, aspergillosis has a terrible impact on many. He added: 'By painstakingly crunching the numbers, Jo has helped us better understand the scale of the challenge which will lead to better diagnostics and treatment strategies.'

A combination of two [b]Vertex Pharmaceuticals[/b] drugs, meanwhile, improved lung function in patients with the most common form of cystic fibrosis, holding out the promise of a new treatment for the genetic illness. [s]Bloomberg[/s] reports that Vertex will seek regulatory approval in the fourth quarter for the treatment in the [b]US[/b] and the [b]EU[/b] based on the final-stage trials. The combination of lumacaftor and Kalydeco, or ivacaftor, is the first treatment for the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis in patients with two copies of a genetic mutation known as F508del, the company said.

[link url=http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/work-experience-student-makes-cystic-fibrosis-breakthrough-9565775.html]Full report in The Independent[/link]
[link url=http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0098502]PLOS One abstract[/link]
[link url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-24/vertex-drug-pair-helps-lungs-in-cystic-fibrosis-trial.html]Full Bloomberg report[/link]

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