Study could lead to new way of treating lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis

Researchers in the US believe they have found a drug that could help people with cystic fibrosis fight bacterial lung infections.

People with cystic fibrosis are prone to persistent bacterial infections which cause progressive damage to the airways and lungs.

The scientists behind the study, published in the journal, eLife, examined over 2,000 approved drugs and natural products to see if they could be used to treat cystic fibrosis.

The researchers found that tannic acid, a readily available and cheap natural product already used to treat a range of illnesses, could be used to reduce the impact of lung infections among people with cystic fibrosis. When testing it in specially adapted frog egg cells, they noted that it blocked the damaging effect of a common bacterium that causes such infections. 

More research is now needed to see if tannic acid will have the same effect when used in humans.

Read the original news story.

Read the journal article.