Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the UK’s most common life-threatening inherited disease affecting over 8,500 babies, children and young adults. It clogs the internal organs with thick sticky mucus making it hard to breathe and digest food. At present there is no cure for CF and 3 young lives are lost each week; 90% of people with CF die of lung failure and average life expectancy is just over 38 years.

The Cystic Fibrosis Trust currently invests around £4 million each year in a programme of research into gene therapy to make it a clinical reality in the foreseeable future. Gene therapy aims to add a healthy copy of the faulty CF gene to the lung. The Cystic Fibrosis Trust has brought together over 80 of the UK’s leading scientists and clinicians to drive this research forward through the UK Cystic Fibrosis Gene Therapy Consortium.

Website: www.cftrust.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1079049