The Cystic Fibrosis Center research team is currently conducting numerous observational research studies and clinical trials that involve various procedures and evaluations to further treat and understand different aspects of this disorder.

All around the world, CF patients of all ages are involved in clinical trials testing potential new drugs across different therapeutic areas. These clinical trials include multiple interventional drug studies here at CHOP.

Want to see if you qualify for an interventional drug study? The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has developed a new search tool for patients and families to find available trials. The online Clinical Trial Finder allows you to narrow your search (by age, lung function, type of therapy) and provides information on specific clinical trials.

In addition to participating in clinical trials of new CF medications, the CF Center is also conducting research on its own and in collaborations with other CF Center across the country. Some of our current and recently completed research projects include:

• STOP Peds. This is a randomized controlled trial of two different ways to treat CF pulmonary exacerbations in children with CF
• HERO-2. This study is examining the impact of stopping chronic daily therapies in people with CF who are taking Trikafta.
• ADVOCATE-CF-NBS. The goal of this project is to identify factors contributing to delays in diagnosis and treatment of infants with a positive CF newborn screen.
• NanoNBS. The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of sweat conductivity as a screening test for infants with a positive CF newborn screen. 
• Assessment of CF lung disease using electrical impedance tomography (EIT). In this study, we compared a new way to image the lungs called EIT to other more established methods to assess CF lung disease.

We are also concentrating on the disease process of Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes (CFRD) and glucose abnormalities. CFRD is a complex condition that adds additional medical burden to individuals with CF. Researchers at CHOP are conducting a number of research studies to better understand the disease and why it develops.

Our CFRD research goal is to:

• Improve screening and find the best methods for detecting CFRD
• Prevent or slow the progression of CFRD
• Better define when treatment of insulin deficiency should begin

To learn more about what studies you or your child may qualify for, please contact CFResearch@email.chop.edu.