Experts at the University of Nottingham will research gut health to hopefully tailor future cystic fibrosis treatment.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition causing sticky mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive system. Many people with this condition experience gut symptoms daily, including bloating and stomach cramps which can cause significant discomfort and reduce the quality of life. Cystic fibrosis treatments do not often target gut symptoms but focus on tackling lung problems.
The study will be funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
Two-thirds of adults miss work due to gut symptoms
A previous study conducted by researchers at the University of Nottingham illuminated that two-thirds of adults with cystic fibrosis missed work and children missed school because of gut symptoms.
To further this previous study, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust awarded £750,000 funding for a Strategic Research Centre (SRC) that will run for three years. It aims to increase the understanding of the cause of gut symptoms, which could result in personalised medicines as a cystic fibrosis treatment in the future. The SRC will create a virtual centre of excellence, bringing researchers with different expertise together to understand the cause of cystic fibrosis gut symptoms.
Personalising cystic fibrosis treatment
The researchers will approach people with cystic fibrosis and gut symptoms in Nottingham and Leeds to take part in the study. The participants will report their symptoms by completing health questionnaires, partake in hospital tests and donating samples for the research.
The researchers will then analyse the results from the tests to discover if there is a link between specific gut symptoms and changes within the intestines to shape future cystic fibrosis treatments. Once these links have been found, lab studies will analyse what triggers these changes to occur and investigate possible symptom-specific medicines that may be a suitable cystic fibrosis treatment.
Dr Lucy Allen, Director of Research at Cystic Fibrosis Trust, said: “We know that relieving pain, bloating and nausea caused by gut symptoms is a research priority for people with CF. I am delighted that a team of internationally recognised researchers will be working together to improve how these symptoms are treated. I hope that this SRC will pave the way for better treatments in the future and allow many adults and children with CF to live a less limited life.”
“The gut symptoms of CF are intrusive to everyday life – and that was a strong motivator to do something in this area. At the moment, treatment is largely reliant on taking a drug that’s used for something else. For example, if people with CF have difficulty going to the toilet, we will give a constipation drug, as we assume that the cause of the symptoms is the same. But we don’t know that. The GRAMPUS SRC will allow us to understand the cause of CF gut symptoms, generating evidence to plan more tailored clinical trials in the future,” commented Professor Alan Smyth, Principal Investigator of the SRC from the University of Nottingham.
