Australian researchers developing new treatment for people with cystic fibrosis

Researchers from The University of Queensland Frazer Institute are determining the feasibility of a clinical trial for a new therapy to help improve the lifespan of people with cystic fibrosis.

The TRI-based microbiologist, Dr Timothy Wells, is using a therapeutic method known as plasmapheresis to reactivate the immune system to fight a common lung infection in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Dr Wells devised the treatment after discovering that cystic fibrosis patients can produce a ‘cloaking’ antibody which prevents their immune system from attacking the superbug Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

This multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogen commonly causes chronic lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis leading to illness and death, according to Dr Wells.

“Importantly, we proved in the laboratory that if we remove cloaking antibodies via plasmapheresis, the immune system can once again attack the bacteria,” Dr Wells said.

“This finding led us to test the novel treatment in multiple patients with chronic P. aeruginosa infections and cloaking antibodies,” he said.

“After treatment, P. aeruginosa was undetectable in all patients, inflammatory markers were normal and lung function increased.”

Dr Wells and his team are working to translate the use of plasmapheresis into the routine clinical treatment of people with cystic fibrosis who have cloaking antibodies and a bacterial infection.

He recently received an AU$700,000 grant from the US Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to refine the therapy for patients, while his PhD student, Emma Ledger, was awarded an $80,000 Cystic Fibrosis Australia grant.

Emma aims to collect feasibility data for a comprehensive Phase I clinical trial of plasmapheresis, potentially expanding its use to treat various infections in people with Cystic Fibrosis.

In Addition, Dr Wells and his research team are developing a commercial test for diagnosing this ‘bad’ antibody. Longer term, they hope to develop new treatment technologies.

Cystic fibrosis is an incurable genetic disorder of the lungs, affecting around 100,000 people worldwide, including 3,700 Australians. One in 25 people carry the altered cystic fibrosis gene.