health

Cystic fibrosis was the first disease that researchers attempted to treat by
using gene therapy, a technique for replacing defective genes in the
body’s tissues with normal genes. In 1993, scientists used a common cold
virus in an attempt to deliver a healthy CFTR gene to the cells in the
patient’s airways. Although this first attempt was not successful, other
methods of gene delivery are now being tested, including nose drops, fat
capsules, and solutions delivered by nebulizers.
Another avenue of research involves mapping the genome of the bacterium
that causes most of the lung infections in CF patients. By
cracking the bacterium’s genetic code, researchers are hoping to develop
better drugs for treating the infections that it causes.