News | Monday, 4th April 2022
New study to investigate impact of new medicine on lung infections of people living with cystic fibrosis
Researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University to study how the drug Kaftrio affects lung infections in children and adults living with cystic fibrosis.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease in which the body makes very thick, sticky mucus which causes problems in the lungs, digestive system, and other organs, causing a wide range of challenging symptoms affecting the entire body.
In clinical trials, the new medicine Kaftrio has been shown to help patients to breathe more easily, improving their overall quality of life. However, it is not yet known the impact Kaftrio could have on lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis.
Repeated lung infections cause the main problems in cystic fibrosis and can lead to a shortened lifespan. Professor Chris van der Gast and Dr Damien Rivett from the Faculty of Science and Engineering will lead the study to understand how this medicine might affect lung infections, and how this might change how the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ germs live and work together in the lungs.
The study will look to collect samples before children and adults start Kaftrio and then follow up samples over the course of 12 months after they have been taking the medicine.
About the project Professor van der Gast said: “When Kaftrio was first approved on the NHS it was heralded as a ‘transformative’ treatment for cystic fibrosis. Promisingly, it has been found to improve lung function. What we do not know is how it will affect the chronic lung infections that so many adults and children with CF are burdened with. This multi-centre study will address that clinically important question.”
Dr Rivett added: “This project will be fundamental in gaining insight into the affects this drug has on the recurring lung infections so many CF patients experience. This study is the first of its kind in investigating what affects Kaftrio will have on lung infections and will be hugely significant in our understanding of how they could be treated going forward”
Kaftrio is currently available on the NHS to patients with cystic fibrosis who are over the age of 12 and with suitable genes. It has recently been approved for children between 6-11 years old with suitable genes and will be available from early 2022.
Over £400,000 of funding has been awarded through an Investigator Instigated Study from Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The project, titled KAPATH-CF is a collaborative multi-centre study, working with respiratory consultants from the Cardiff and Vale Health Board, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Great Ormond Street NHS Trust Foundation, and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
