Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic condition resulting in mainly respiratory and gastrointestinal problems, and is associated with early death from lung damage and respiratory failure. CF is more common in Ireland than anywhere else. Our CF research team led by Professor Paul McNally is passionate about putting Ireland at the forefront of paediatric CF research internationally. Our CF research programme has three main strands – we believe that developing and integrating these strands will drive significant improvements in the care and outcomes for our patients with CF.
- High quality basic science CF research. Our basic Science team led by Dr Judith Coppinger has a particular interest in biomarkers of lung disease.
- High quality clinical and translational research. Our main study in this area is SHIELD CF – a long term comprehensive multi-centre study designed to help us to understand the origins of CF lung disease in babies and small children by collecting and banking clinical information and samples over many years.
- A network for clinical trials. Our CF:INK network covers all of the specialist paediatric CF centres in Ireland and was developed to bring clinical trials of new medications to all children with CF in Ireland. Our philosophy is based around establishing a comprehensive national network for high quality CF research, with NCRC at the centre. We want to create strong links between patient care and research to drive improvements in outcomes for children with this debilitating disease.
Airway cells (nucleus is blue, cell wall junctions are pink) taken from a child with CF and re-grown in the lab. Cells have been infected with the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa (green), also from a child with CF, to assess their resistance to infection after treatment with various compounds.
