April 2003 

Julie Feldman MPH RD, Clinical Dietitian

Happy April to everybody.  It sure did not seem like spring around Southeastern Michigan last week as we were covered with snow and ice.  Hopefully everyone has defrosted and can feel that spring is in the air.  You may have noticed that the newsletter for March never showed itself.  This was due to computer changes happening system wide within St. John health System.  I was unable to access my handy dandy computer to create the beautiful newsletters you have grown accustomed to.  But now we are back in business.  Some other changes that have occurred include a change in email addresses.  If you have any questions or concerns I can now be reached at Julie.Feldman@providence-stjohnhealth.org

Web Page to Watch

A fellow CF patient from Michigan has created a web page chronicling his journey with a lung transplant.  He is currently on the wait list at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.  Visit him here.

Phase II is good for you

BCY Life Sciences Phase II trial of its lead compound, DCF 987, designed to treat CF is progressing on schedule says company representatives.  This drug is an inhaled therapy for patients 16 years and older.  This trial is expected to reach completion mid-year.  We will keep our eyes open of any updates.

Pseudomonas is Tricky

Geneticists in Germany are suggesting that the bacteria pseudomonas actually changes so quickly in the lungs of CF patients that antibiotics can not effectively clear the patient of the infection.  Understanding how this works, researchers say, can help lead to more efficient treatments.

Demegen, Inc. has received patent number 6,528,488 in the United States for an inhaled treatment for CF infections.  This company specializes in the development of peptides (protein fragments) to treat infectious diseases. This peptide will be delivered by an inhaler.  The compound is derived from human saliva, and has been shown to have unique performance against common infections.