Shire has just announced a new partnership with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to develop technology that can maintain lung function and protect against respiratory infections.
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc. (CFFT) the non-profit drug discovery and development affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, agreed to invest up to $15 million in Shire’s messenger RNA (mRNA) platform for cystic fibrosis. mRNA works to transmit coded genetic information to cellular ribosomes, which then translate the information into functional protein. Several diseases, including cystic fibrosis, are rooted in this genetic lack of specific functional proteins. With CFFT’s assistance, Shire will be working on treatments that deliver mRNA directly into the lungs, where local cells can utilize them to produce the missing functional protein.
