Biochemistry and Biophysics

Grant Detail

This is a chronological listing of grants held by this department, with the most recent listed first. New grants appear in this list weekly and contribute related to the department's Research Profile. The source of grants for this application comes directly from your institution.

PJMR005 Durability of hypertonic saline for enhancing mucociliary clearance i

William Bennett; Scott Donaldson

Cystic fibrosis lung disease is characterized by impaired mucociliary clearance (MCC), mucus stasis, inflammation, infection, and ultimately progressive loss of lung function. Inhalation of hypertonic saline (HS) enhances MCC in CF patients as measured following inhalation of a radiotracer with gamma scintigraphy. Furthermore, long-term administration of HS is associated with improvements in lung function and pulmonary exacerbations. While HS has gained acceptance in the CF community, with estimates of up to 50% of patients being treated with this therapy, the durability of HS effects on MCC are not clear. The specific aims of this study are: 1) To determine the durability of improvement in MCC following inhalation of single doses of inhaled HS (7%) in CF patients, 2) To determine the inter-individual variability of baseline MCC measurements in CF patients, 3) To determine the inter-individual variability of MCC measurements following inhalation of HS in CF patients, 4) To determine the most robust single measure or composite measure of MCC in CF patients, and 5) To determine the feasibility of multicenter CF trials using MCC/CC as a biomarker. Up to 8 CF patients will be studied at each of two study centers (UNC and Johns Hopkins University). Three MCC studies (no treatment, immediate post HS treatment, and either 1 or 4 hours post treatment) will be performed for each patient. Knowledge gained from this study will inform exploratory clinical trial design in support of programs for developing durable drugs for enhancing MCC in CF.