Researchers from the University of Queensland have found a promising way to help people with cystic fibrosis (CF) fight infections better.
This discovery could mean a big leap forward in how we treat CF, a disease that causes thick mucus to build up in the lungs and other parts of the body, leading to frequent infections.
The team, led by Professor Matt Sweet, Dr. Kaustav Das Gupta, and Dr. James Curson at the university’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience, has been looking into why people with CF often have a hard time fighting off bacteria.
They found out that a specific part of the body’s defense system doesn’t work as it should.
Normally, our immune cells, known as macrophages, can kill bacteria by using high levels of metals like zinc.
But in people with CF, these macrophages can’t use zinc properly because of a problem with the CFTR ion channel, a tiny pathway in cells that’s faulty in CF patients. This fault makes it easier for infections to happen and stick around.
What’s really exciting, though, is that the researchers found a way to fix this problem. They identified a zinc transport protein that can take over when the CFTR protein isn’t working right.
By boosting this pathway, the macrophages can fight bacteria like they’re supposed to, which could significantly reduce infections in people with CF.
This discovery is especially important because CF affects about 3,600 Australians, cutting their life expectancy to an average of 47 years.
Not only does CF cause a lot of physical problems, but it also means that people with CF have to take antibiotics frequently, which can lead to drug-resistant infections.
Professor Peter Sly, a key collaborator on the project, highlighted the importance of understanding how CF affects the immune system. He pointed out that while current treatments can help with some CF symptoms, they don’t fully prevent lung infections. This new research could be a step toward solving that problem by restoring the immune system’s ability to fight off bacteria.
The study was done in partnership with Professor Mark Schembri and is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
It’s a big deal because it opens up new possibilities for treating CF, moving beyond just managing symptoms to actually boosting the body’s natural ability to defend itself.
This could mean fewer infections and a better quality of life for those living with cystic fibrosis.
