| Cure for Cystic Fibrosis Discovered | |
|---|---|
| Date | December 17, 2015 |
| Internal Name | fibrosis_cured |
December 17th, 2015:
Cure for Cystic Fibrosis Discovered -
Diane Bauverde, a graduate of the Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg, France and a staff researcher at the Human Genome Project (HGP), announced today at a meeting for theAssociation for Discoveries in Medicine (ADM) that the devastating effects of Cystic Fibrosis can be halted through a combination of gene therapy and medication. CF is a disease caused by an inherited genetic defect resulting in chronic lung problems and digestive disorders. It was often referred to as a children's disease, since the life expectancy of people with CF used to be very short; the median life expectancy until recently was only 20-30 years. Now, with the new therapies developed by the HGP, those afflicted with CF can look forward to a relatively normal lifespan.
The Human Genome Project, established 25 years ago with the cooperation of the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institute of Health, successfully mapped all of the estimated 25,000 genes in human DNA back in 2003. "We're all very excited about these finding," said Ms. Bauverde. "It represents the culmination of years of research and the efforts of many, many people. We are hopeful that the concepts will be applicable to other areas of research with practical benefits we can realize in our lifetime." The National Institute of Health has indicated that additional funding will be made available to the HGP to continue with their work.