A University academic who left school early with dreams of being a rock star has been recognised for his internationally outstanding work in microbiology and his studies into the social lifestyle of the opportunistic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa - the leading cause of death in Cystic Fibrosis patients and an important cause of hospital acquired infections…

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:GILD) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for Cayston(R)(aztreonam for inhalation solution) as a treatment to improve respiratory symptoms in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Cayston’s safety and efficacy have not been established in pediatric patients below the age of 7, patients with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) of less than 25 percent or greater than 75 percent predicted, or patients colonized with Burkholderia cepacia…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an important new inhaled antibiotic called Cayston® (aztreonam for inhalation solution) today for the treatment of cystic fibrosis. The drug was made possible by significant support from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, including a $1 million investment by a Foundation subsidiary to help develop the therapy. Developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc., Cayston offers a much-needed antibiotic alternative for CF patients who battle recurrent lung infections and develop resistance to existing antibiotics…

As prenatal and embryonic genetic testing has become more widespread in the U.S., the number of infants with certain inheritable diseases — such as cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs and familial dysautonomia — has declined, according to an Associated Press review of research and interviews with genetics experts, the AP/Seattle Times reports. According to the AP/Times, prenatal genetic testing brings up “hot-button issues,” including abortion, embryo disposal and “worries about eugenics…

In a study that could lead to new therapeutic targets for patients with the cystic fibrosis, a research team from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has identified a defective signaling pathway that contributes to disease severity. In the study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, the researchers report that defective signaling for a protein called the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) accounts for a portion of disease symptoms in cystic fibrosis, and that correction of the defective pathway reduces symptoms of the disease in mice…

As part of a steadfast commitment to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis, BJ’s Restaurants, Inc. donated $521,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in 2009 for research, care and education programs. BJ’s has been involved with the Foundation since 1998 and is one of its largest and most loyal corporate supporters. “We are truly grateful to BJ’s restaurants, their team members and their customers for their generosity and desire to help support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s mission,” said C…

Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that Phase IIIb data published in the January issue of Clinical Therapeutics confirm that CREON® (pancrelipase) Delayed-Release Capsules significantly improves a key measure of fat absorption in children aged 7-11 years who have exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) due to cystic fibrosis (CF), EPI is a condition resulting from a deficiency in the production and/or secretion of pancreatic enzymes that are necessary to digest nutrients in food…

One of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s most active volunteers will carry the Olympic Torch today in Calgary as it makes its way to Vancouver and the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Liz Burns, incoming board president for the Foundation’s Georgia Chapter, has helped raise more than $600,000 for CF research, care and education programs. She is a senior national sales executive for Coca-Cola North America…

Johns Hopkins University researchers have created biodegradable nanosized particles that can easily slip through the body’s sticky and viscous mucus secretions to deliver a sustained-release medication cargo. The researchers say these nanoparticles, which degrade over time into harmless components, could one day carry life-saving drugs to patients suffering from dozens of health conditions, including diseases of the eye, lung, gut or female reproductive tract…

Boston University School of Medicine’s (BUSM) Pulmonary Center has received a two-year $1.4 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to derive stem cells and lung progenitors from patients with lung disease. Darrell Kotton, MD, associate professor of medicine and pathology, and Gustavo Mostoslavsky, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine, are the principal investigators of this new grant award…