The enzymes produced by bacteria responsible for inflaming the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis might make a good target for controlling the infection, new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests. 

“Taken together, our results provide evidence for a novel role of the bacterial epoxide hydrolase Cif in obstructing normal resolution pathways in the airway and promoting pulmonary inflammation in cystic fibrosis patients colonized with P.aeruginosa,” the researchers wrote.

They concluded that Cif represents, “a key link between chronic infections and the damaging, hyper-inflammatory environment present in the cystic fibrosis airway,” which may serve as a valuable biomarker for disease progression and treatment response.

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