The Washington University Therapeutic Development Center is devoted to improving the health and well-being of patients with cystic fibrosis, whether it involves conventional treatments, novel therapies and pharmaceuticals, or organ transplantation. The clinical research program at Washington University School of Medicine has grown since our inclusion in the Therapeutics Development Network (TDN), and we are participating in network-supported clinical trials testing novel agents to correct or potentiate specific cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) defects, which could profoundly affect the clinical course of cystic fibrosis. The Center is one of six primary sites of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) -supported Genetic Disorders of Mucociliary Clearance Consortium, a clinical research network to study rare diseases of the airways, focusing on variant forms of cystic fibrosis and ciliopathies. We are participating in the NIH- and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-supported Cystic Fibrosis Liver Disease Research Consortium, a multicenter, longitudinal study utilizing diagnostic, clinical, and outcome data to understand the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis-related liver disease. The Center continues its many quality improvement initiatives, we are participating in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-supported program to develop a computer-based system for the detection of adverse drug events in cystic fibrosis patients during care transitions.
The Cystic Fibrosis Center has maintained collaborative relationships with Washington University investigators in clinical and basic science departments, which has allowed us to consider questions fundamental to our understanding of the disease. Several NIH-funded investigators (including the co-directors of the pediatric center) are working together on projects that deal with host-pathogen interactions, pulmonary inflammation and airway injury.
Please call 314.454.2353 if you would like additional information regarding active clinical trials at our center.
