Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Lone Star Chapter

The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a nonprofit donor-supported organization, is to assure the development of the means to cure and control cystic fibrosis and to improve the quality of life for those with the disease.

Description:
The Foundation is the leading organization in the United States devoted to cystic fibrosis. It funds and accredits more than 115 CF care centers, 95 adult care programs and 50 affiliate programs, and has 80 chapters and branch offices nationwide.

Part of the CF Foundation’s “formula for success” remains its ability to attract scientists from new fields to join in the mission to increase the length and improve the quality of life for people with cystic fibrosis. Researchers from diverse disciplines, such as molecular biology, immunology and medicinal chemistry, routinely collaborate to find new strategies to tackle the disease. This multidisciplinary approach to research was pioneered by the CF Foundation, and later adopted by other disease organizations.

The discovery of the CF gene in 1989—the single most important discovery in CF research—was the result of an international research collaboration. With the CF gene in hand, CF Foundation researchers for the first time could make a healthy version of the gene for further study.

In 1993, the first gene therapy treatment was given to a CF patient, and CF gene therapy research was truly launched. At the same time, other research teams were searching for ways to correct the faulty protein product of the genes and discover new treatments that addressed the symptoms of CF.

By pursuing several research strategies at once, the CF Foundation has built a pipeline of potential new CF therapies. There are currently more than two-dozen therapies in development—more than at any time in the Foundation’s 51-year history.

To keep “stocking” this pipeline with promising therapeutics, many CF researchers continue to translate new knowledge from basic science laboratories into potential therapies. Key research programs and initiatives follow.

History:
When the Foundation was established in 1955, children with CF were not expected to live long enough to attend elementary school. Due in large part to the Foundation's aggressive investments in innovative research and comprehensive care, the predicted median survival age for people with this disease is now more than 37 years.
In 1989, CF Foundation-supported scientists discovered the defective gene that causes cystic fibrosis—a monumental breakthrough on the road to a cure.
The Foundation has played an integral role in the development and FDA approval of four therapies that are now a routine part of treatment regimens for many with CF. The Foundation is actively supporting more than 30 potential new treatments currently in development—that's more than in the entire history of the disease. Our challenge is to find enough patients to join clinical trials to keep the research moving forward.

Contact person: Hugh Farr, Executive Director, (210) 829-7267, (email)

Office fax number: (210) 829-4204

Address:

8620 North New Braunfels, Ste 110 San Antonio, TX 78217 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.cff.org

Directions:

Our offices are located in the Energy Plaza building, located off North New Braunfels, near the San Antonio International Airport.

Last updated on April 27, 2009