Science Magazine Spotlights 20 Years Of CF Research

Main Category: Cystic Fibrosis
Article Date: 30 Jun 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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An article in Science magazine this month highlights several promising new CF therapies, including VX-770 and VX-809 developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, as part of a look back at key moments in CF research since the discovery of the CF gene 20 years ago.

The article notes the CF Foundation's role in scientific discoveries: "The CF Foundation had been instrumental in funding the gene hunt and subsequent CF research, raising and investing tens of millions of dollars."

In the piece, Francis Collins, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute and co-discoverer of the CF gene, says the research community was initially skeptical about the Foundation's focus on funding drug research to find a cure: "A lot of people thought that [CFF president] Bob Beall was going far out on a limb to put a lot of money into a strategy that was clearly risky." But now, following the Foundation's investment of more than $75 million to develop VX-770 and VX-809, the "…two Vertex drugs are taking the CF world by storm."

Source
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation