Thank You For Visiting

I am asking for any support you can give to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

I am walking for Jared Eaken again this year as we do every year in the Great Strides Walk at Six Flags Over Texas on June 7, 2009. Most likely Jared won't be able to walk the walk again this year since he has just been released from the hospital and another round of pneumonia and antibiotics, but he will be there with us in spirit.

Won't you join me?

And if you can't, can you make a direct donation online to support Cystic Fibrosis Foundation research for a cure?

Any Support is greatly appreciated,
Bill Reid

Jared Eaken Age 8

Post Walk Update

Thank You To Everyone Who Supported Us This Year

It was a very hot day, and thank goodness the Great Strides Walk is scheduled early. We were able to make it through before it got too hot.

Jared was able to make it out to the walk, although he wasn't able to go the whole distance. It was just too hot and he was just too weak after battling pneumonia for several weeks. But as alway, Jared was in good spirit and happy to see everyone there.

Your donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is greatly appreciated and will help to fund the research projects that are ongoing in the race to find a cure for this insidious disease. We know that times are difficult for many in the turbulent economic times and appreciate the fact that you gave in spite of it all. Our team, "Jared's Journey", through a very strong effort by the whole family, was able to exceed our goal again this year, raising over $18,000.00 for the Foundation. As you can see from the reports in the articles in the feed that I have included here, the researchers are making great progress in a number of areas. We just have to keep the money coming to keep it going. You did your part and we thank you very much!

Sincerely,
Bill Reid
Jared's Uncle

Cystic Fibrosis News From Medical News Today
Latest Cystic Fibrosis News From Medical News Today.

  • Nationwide Designated Translational Research Center In CF Foundation's National Clinical Trials Network
    published on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:00:00 PDT
    Nationwide Children's Hospital has been selected to serve as one of 13 special translational research centers in a network of 77 clinical trial sites that are part of the Therapeutics Development Network (TDN) of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The translational research centers will lead the newest Phase I clinical trials and provide scientific direction to the entire network.
  • DiscoveryBioMed, Inc. Awarded Phase 2 SBIR Grant By The NIH To Discover Hypertension And Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Drugs
    published on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:00:00 PDT
    DiscoveryBioMed, Inc. (DBM) announced that it has been awarded a $750,000 Small Business Innovations Research (SBIR) Phase 2 grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue the research into the discovery and development of small molecules to alleviate multiple chronic human diseases including cystic fibrosis (CF), hypertension and chronic kidney diseases with hypertension.
  • Nationwide Designated Translational Research Center In CF Foundation's National Clinical Trials Network
    published on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PDT
    Nationwide Children's Hospital has been selected to serve as one of 13 special translational research centers in a network of 77 clinical trial sites that are part of the Therapeutics Development Network (TDN) of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The translational research centers will lead the newest Phase I clinical trials and provide scientific direction to the entire network.
  • Cleveland Indians Manager Eric Wedge Urges Fans To Fight Cystic Fibrosis
    published on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:00:00 PDT
    Eric Wedge, manager of the Cleveland Indians, is joining the fight against cystic fibrosis (CF), a fatal genetic disease. Wedge and 17-year old Michaela Mullet will star in a public service announcement (PSA) to be aired during a Cleveland Indians game against the Chicago White Sox on Monday evening, September 28. Cystic fibrosis clogs the lungs with thick mucus, causing life-threatening infections and premature death.
  • Cystic Fibrosis Patient Emily Schaller Begins 2,000-Mile Quest To Get On "The Ellen DeGeneres Show"
    published on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:00:00 PDT
    Emily Schaller, a 27-year-old drummer with cystic fibrosis (CF), begins a 2,000-mile journey today aboard a Vespa scooter - riding from Chicago to Burbank, California, in her quest to get on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." Schaller, whose singular goal is to raise awareness about cystic fibrosis, has appeared in
  • Senate Introduces Bill To Boost Participation In Clinical Trials For Rare Diseases
    published on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:00:00 PDT
    Four members of the United States Senate introduced legislation today to allow patients with rare diseases to participate in clinical drug studies without losing their eligibility for public healthcare coverage, echoing a move by the House of Representatives last month. The "Improving Access to Clinical Trials Act" is co-sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Dodd (D-CT), James Inhofe (R-OK) and Richard Shelby (R-AL).
  • The Making Of Mucus In Common Lung Diseases
    published on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PDT
    In the lung, mucus is produced by cells known as goblet cells, which are present in small numbers in the walls of the lungs and airways. Many inflammatory stimuli, including allergens, cigarette smoke, and chronic infections, increase the number and activity of these goblet cells.
  • Kamada Presents Data On Inhaled Alpha-1 Antitrypsin In Cystic Fibrosis Patients At The European Respiratory Society Meeting 2009, Vienna
    published on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PDT
    Kamada, a bio-pharmaceutical company engaged in the development, manufacturing and marketing of specialty life-saving therapeutics, announced that data on its next-generation alpha-1 antitrypsin (Inhaled-AAT) in cystic fibrosis patients was presented, at the Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) 2009, Vienna. As previously reported, the study showed that inhaled-AAT was safe and biologically effective.
  • Mpex Reports Positive Phase II Results With Aeroquin, Delivered By PARI Pharma's EFlow Technology
    published on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:00:00 PDT
    Mpex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. reported positive top line results from a Phase 2b clinical trial with Aeroquin, a novel aerosol formulation of levofloxacin delivered by an optimized Investigational eFlow Nebulizer System from PARI Pharma. In the Mpex cystic fibrosis trial, nebulized Aeroquin met the primary endpoint of reducing bacterial counts of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in sputum after 28 days of dosing versus placebo.
  • Study Identifies Genetic Variation Associated With Increased Risk Of Liver Disease For Patients With Cystic Fibrosis
    published on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PDT
    A genetic analysis indicates that a certain gene variation in patients with cystic fibrosis may significantly increase their risk of developing severe liver disease, according to a study in the September 9 issue of JAMA. A small fraction (about 3 - 5 percent) of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) develop severe liver disease characterized by cirrhosis with portal hypertension (CFLD; increase in blood pressure caused by obstruction in the liver).
  • UA Researchers Seek Safer Cystic Fibrosis Test
    published on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:00:00 PDT
    Researchers from The University of Arizona Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine are teaming up to try to invent a novel non-invasive lung test for cystic fibrosis sufferers. Eric Snyder, PhD, assistant professor at the UA College of Pharmacy, is the principal investigator on the study, "Quantification of Exhaled Condensate Using Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Cystic Fibrosis." Dr.
  • Mpex Pharmaceuticals Announces Positive Phase 2b Clinical Trial Results With Aeroquin(R) (MP-376) Treatment In Cystic Fibrosis Patients
    published on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:00:00 PDT
    Mpex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced positive data from its Phase 2b clinical trial with Aeroquin((R)) (a novel aerosol formulation of levofloxacin, MP-376) in cystic fibrosis (CF). Trial results showed that nebulized Aeroquin met the primary endpoint of reducing bacterial counts of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) in sputum after 28 days of dosing versus placebo.
  • PTC Therapeutics Initiates Registration-Directed Phase 3 Trial Of Ataluren In Cystic Fibrosis
    published on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:00:00 PDT
    PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (PTC) announced the initiation of a Phase 3 trial of ataluren (formerly PTC124(R)), an investigational protein restoration therapy in patients with nonsense mutation cystic fibrosis (nmCF). Patients with CF lack adequate levels of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein, a chloride channel necessary for normal function of the lung, pancreas, liver, and other organs.
  • Gene Variant Heightens Risk Of Severe Liver Disease In Cystic Fibrosis
    published on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:00:00 PDT
    Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered a genetic risk factor for severe liver disease in people with cystic fibrosis. Those who carry a particular variant of the SERPINA1 gene (also known as alpha-1-antitrypsin or alpha-1-antiprotease) are five times more likely to develop cirrhosis and other liver complications than patients who carry the normal version of the gene. The study, which appears in the Sept.
  • Luminex Receives 510(K) Clearance For New Cystic Fibrosis Test
    published on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:00:00 PDT
    Luminex Corporation (NASDAQ: LMNX), the worldwide leader in multiplexed solutions, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new cystic fibrosis (CF) test: the xTAG� Cystic Fibrosis 39 Kit v2. Designed with years of feedback from clinicians and technicians, the newly cleared xTAG test detects for 39 CF-causing gene mutations.
  • Eurand Granted FDA Approval For ZENPEPTM
    published on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 01:00:00 PDT
    Eurand N.V. (NASDAQ: EURX), a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its New Drug Application (NDA) for ZENPEP? (pancrelipase) Delayed-Release Capsules for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) or other conditions.
  • News From The Journal Of Clinical Investigation, Aug. 24, 2009
    published on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 05:00:00 PDT
    CARDIOLOGY: Abnormal heartbeats caused by changes in ion channel density Two independent studies have determined how changes in the density of different ion channels in the surface membrane of heart muscle cells can lead to life-threatening abnormal heartbeats.
  • 10th Functional Genomics: Chemical Biology 2009
    published on Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 PDT
    A cure for cystic fibrosis, HIV-fighting 'Trojan horses', new pharmaceuticals from the ocean. Chemical biologists use new and innovative approaches to discover medications of the future. On 24 August, some of the field's most prominent researchers will attend an international conference in Gothenburg, Sweden. In the field of chemical biology, chemists and biologists cooperate to investigate, and eventually control, the behavior of cells.
  • Researchers Develop Faster And Cheaper Way To Find Disease Genes
    published on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:00:00 PDT
    A faster and cheaper way to find disease genes in the human genome that is being developed by researchers in the US has passed its initial "proof of concept" test by finding previously unknown gene mutations for Freeman-Sheldon syndrome, a rare Mendelian disorder, in unrelated affected individuals. Researchers from the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle wrote about their work in a paper that appears in the 16 August issue of Nature.
  • Aradigm Receives Orphan Drug Designation For Inhaled Liposomal Ciprofloxacin To Treat Cystic Fibrosis In Europe
    published on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:00:00 PDT
    Aradigm Corporation (OTCBB:ARDM) (the "Company") announced yesterday that the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) granted Orphan Drug Designation to the Company's inhaled liposomal ciprofloxacin drug product candidate for the treatment of lung infections associated with cystic fibrosis ("CF").
  • Could Science Use The Common Cold To Cure Cystic Fibrosis?
    published on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:00:00 PDT
    In 1989 scientists identified the gene mutation that causes cystic fibrosis (CF), which led to the hope that CF lung disease could be 'cured' using gene therapy. The premise of gene therapy is that modified viruses or other gene-based systems could be used to deliver a corrected version of a gene into affected tissues. However, the projected cure has been hampered by the natural ability of the lung to limit the introduction of foreign genes into its cells.
  • Common Cold Virus Efficiently Delivers Corrected Gene To Cystic Fibrosis Cells
    published on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT
    Scientists have worked for 20 years to perfect gene therapy for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, which causes the body to produce dehydrated, thicker-than-normal mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life threatening infections. Now University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine scientists have found what may be the most efficient way to deliver a corrected gene to lung cells collected from cystic fibrosis patients.
  • Unseen Long-Term Benefits From Cystic Fibrosis Treatments
    published on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PDT
    Cystic fibrosis medicines that help to break down mucus in the lungs may carry an unexpected long-term benefit, a study suggests. The treatments not only help breathing in the short term - they may also make lung infections develop to be less harmful in the long run, research from the University of Edinburgh shows. Scientists studied how bacteria which infect the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients gather nutrients from their surroundings.
  • Cystic Fibrosis - Liposomal Tobramycin Receives Second Orphan Drug Designation Within Weeks
    published on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT
    An innovative treatment for infections of the respiratory tract in cystic fibrosis patients has received a second orphan drug designation in the US only weeks after a first designation was granted. The recent designation relates to Burkholderia cepacia pathogens that can cause lethal infections in cystic fibrosis patients.
  • FDA Clears Osmetech's Cystic Fibrosis Genotyping Test
    published on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:00:00 PDT
    Osmetech plc (LSE:OMH), the fast growing international molecular diagnostics company announces that it has received US Food & Drug Administration ('FDA') 510(k) clearance for its eSensor� Cystic Fibrosis Genotyping Test for use on the eSensor� XT-8 System.