Three University of Massachusetts Amherst scientists have received a four-year, $1.2 million EUREKA grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study folding and misfolding of secretory proteins in the cell's protein factory, the endoplasmic reticulum, where misfolding can lead to diseases such as cystic fibrosis and liver cirrhosis...

Vitamin D may be an effective therapy to treat and even prevent allergy to a common mold that can cause severe complications for patients with cystic fibrosis and asthma, according to researchers from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Louisiana State University School of Medicine. Results of the study, led by Jay Kolls, M.D., Ph.D...

Luminex Corporation (Nasdaq: LMNX), the worldwide leader in multiplexed solutions, announced the full commercial launch of its xTAG® Cystic Fibrosis 60 Kit v2, a new diagnostic test that can simultaneously screen a single blood sample for up to 60 cystic fibrosis-causing genetic mutations in a matter of hours...

BACTERIOLOGY: Antifreeze molecule enhances survival of bacteria-carrying ticks Ticks can carry and transmit to humans disease-causing bacteria...

PULMONARY: Can vitamin D reduce a complication of cystic fibrosis? The lungs of most individuals with cystic fibrosis are colonized by the mold Aspergillus fumigatus. In some this causes a condition known as allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), which is characterized by wheezing, lung infiltration by immune cells, and lung scarring, while others remain disease free...

The U.S. Senate has passed the "Improving Access to Clinical Trials Act" (I-ACT), a bipartisan piece of legislation championed by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, its advocates and 120 other health advocacy organizations. The legislation enables patients with rare diseases to participate in clinical trials without losing eligibility for public healthcare benefits...

Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) recover from exacerbations equally well if they are treated at home or in a hospital, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University. Furthermore, longer treatment with antibiotics does not appear to offer any additional benefit over shorter courses...

Teens from across the United States whose siblings have cystic fibrosis will press their elected officials in Washington, D.C., June 24, to fund drug research and increase access to clinical trials for those with rare diseases. Their goal is to speed the development of new drugs for people who need them most...

Transave, Inc., reported interim results from a multi-cycle Phase II open label clinical trial in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients on its lead investigational drug, ARIKACE™ (liposomal amikacin for inhalation)...

Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who have Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) detected in their respiratory tract have worse survival compared to CF patients without MRSA, according to a study in the June 16 issue of JAMA. The most common cause of death in CF is respiratory failure secondary to pulmonary infection...

Eurand Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of global specialty pharmaceutical company Eurand N.V...

Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. announced that it has acquired RespiVert Ltd., a privately held drug discovery company focused on developing small-molecule, inhaled therapies for the treatment of pulmonary diseases...

In addition to their suffering, rare disease patients often have to face the harsh reality that few pharmaceutical companies will ever be able to offer new treatments for their condition because the costs of new treatments will never be recovered from such a small market. But there are ways they can be helped. The U.S...

An emerging population of middle-aged cystic fibrosis patients contains significantly more females and includes a large proportion of patients who lived for decades without a diagnosis or specialized care, according to research published by researchers at National Jewish Health...