The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7496 p392
5 April 2008

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News summary

CF protein identified

A key regulator of inflammation and infection in the disease process of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) has been identified, paving the way for new treatment strategies (Nature Medicine, 30 March 2008).

Investigators showed that ceramide accumulates over time in the respiratory tract of mice that do not have a copy of the gene known to be defective in humans with CF, and that this accumulation leaves them susceptible to bacterial infections.

Treatment with amitriptyline reduced the levels of ceramide and may represent a new strategy to prevent infections in CF patients, the authors write.