Post by Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals

As one of the largest cystic fibrosis (CF) specialist centres in Europe, Royal Brompton leads a wide portfolio of national and international CF research studies focused on advancing new treatments. Talking about research advancements in the past year, Professor Nicholas Simmonds, associate director, said: “It has been a busy and exciting year in cystic fibrosis research, with significant progress across several major programmes. Large grant initiatives, generously supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity have continued to advance—particularly the ADVANCE-CFTR programme, which focuses on complex diagnostics and organoid development. This work is central to accelerating diagnosis for people with rare CF gene variants. “In parallel, respiratory consultants, Dr Imogen Felton and Professor Jane Davies are leading a trial that is looking at reproductive, offspring and maternal health in people with CF – as we know there is an increase in the number of people with CF who are becoming parents. The research programme is progressing extremely well and holds considerable potential to transform the field. “Therapeutic development is also moving forward at pace. Early-phase genetic therapy trials are ongoing, and one of the most exciting recent developments outside of genetic therapies has been positive results from the ENaC (sodium channel) trial in which our team participated. “Dr Gemma Stanford, our AHP research-lead, oversees the Brompton-led UK-wide, multicentre randomised controlled trial, YOGA-CF, which aims to determine whether online yoga classes for people with CF could help improve physical issues and improve quality of life. Recruitment to the trial has been successfully completed on time and to target, with 340 participants. This represents a major achievement, and there is now a strong focus on completing the analysis and sharing the final results.” Read Nick’s interview from last year on CF research over the years: https://lnkd.in/gMpXRqme