Cf & Airways Microbiology Research Group

Dr Maeliossa McCrudden will give a presentation on microneedles @ tomorrow mornings lab meeting @ 8.30am.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Transplant -patients-star-calen…

The fabulous burger feast following the bi annual lab clean.

Queen's is a lead partner in a new €6 million (euro) global research programme to develop new ways to treat Cystic Fibrosis.
The new global programme, known as CF Matters, aims to develop personalised antibiotic treatments for these chest infections. The work could revolutionise the practice of antibiotic prescription and limit resistance to the drugs globally.
The study brings together renowned CF clinicians and scientists from 12 academic institutions and hospitals across E...urope and the USA. It is led by University College Cork with Queen’s as a lead partner. It will involve lab-based research and clinical trials with 252 patients in seven countries, including around 40 in Northern Ireland.
Queen's lead on the study is Professor Stuart Elborn. Professor Elborn said: "When patients have a flare-up they are treated with several antibiotics but it isn’t always effective and can lead to antibiotic resistance. In this study we will use molecular next generation DNA sequencing methods to detect all the bacteria present in the sputum of CF patients and use this knowledge to determine what antibiotics should be used in individual patients.
"This personalised antibiotic treatment will be compared with standard therapy for CF patients. We will determine the patient’s immune response to all the different bacteria present in the sputum. Using models of infection we will also discover the effect of these bacteria on lung inflammation and infection. The overall impact will be to determine if all bacteria present contribute significantly to lung infection in CF patients and subsequently identify the most effective antibiotic treatment for patients infected with these bacteria."
The study will involve a team of scientists from Queen's Centre for Infection and Immunity including Professor Cliff Taggart, Dr Rebecca Ingram and Dr Sinéad Weldon and Professor Michael Tunney from the School of Pharmacy.
They will collaborate with Dr Damian Downey, Co-Director of the Regional Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. Dr Downey said: "This important collaborative study with our colleagues in Queen’s University will investigate the use of directed antibiotic therapy to treat lung infections. The aim of a more focused treatment plan is to limit the damage that occurs to the lung."
www.cfmatters.com
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Congratulations to our newest PhD success. Dr O'Neill!!! Well done Katherine!

Here's a link to our video on the CF unite website (on the features page). This is a great website that aims to bridge the gap between people with CF and researchers investigating CF. Thanks again to Ben Mudge for his help and insight when making it! www.cfunite.org

Professorial cake!!

Congratulations to Dr Michael Tunney on his promotion to Professor!! Well done Michael!!!!

A crowd of very strange looking Santas from our lab (along with some friends and an elf) taking part in the Santa Dash in Belfast last Sunday in aid of the Childrens Hospice. Well done guys!

Congratulations Dr Sherrard!!! Well done Laura. You did it!😀

Ever wondered what happens to a sample provided during a clinical trial?