New treatment for cystic fibrosis

Children with cystic fibrosis could see their condition controlled with revolutionary gene therapy within two years, it was revealed today.

Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital are to begin testing the therapy, developed by Dr Steve Hart at the Institute of Child Health. Cystic fibrosis affects over 7,500 people in Britain, causing breathing difficulties and respiratory infections. There is no cure and sufferers usually do not live beyond their thirties, although regular physiotherapy and drugs can slow the condition.

The new therapy involves a mixture that can be inhaled, so healthy genes can be transferred directly into the lungs. They stop the build-up of mucus which leads to breathing problems, although they cannot cure the illness outright.