Toronto (February 20, 2002) - The Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CCFF), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH), announced today the creation of a joint research initiative worth over $1 million. Named In Memory of Michael O'Reilly, the three-year initiative aims to discover new approaches for treating cystic fibrosis patients who have Burkholderia complex (B. cepacia) and other multiresistant bacteria in their airways.
The deadly bacterium Burkholderia cepacia complex is having a huge impact on the cystic fibrosis community in Canada. In persons with CF, B. cepacia complex can cause overwhelming lung infections. Some individuals with CF who are infected with B. cepacia complex experience a rapid decline in lung function compromising their long-term survival, while others may develop a severe and often fatal pneumonia ("cepacia syndrome"). B. cepacia complex's resistance to most antibiotics, and its ability to spread from one patient to another, heighten the urgency for the discovery of newer and improved antibacterial therapies to combat lung infections.
The goal of the team of researchers led by Dr. Miguel Valvano (University of Western Ontario, London) is to identify factors expressed by B. cepacia complex that contribute to its ability to survive and persist in the lungs of individuals with CF, in order to develop therapies. Dr. Valvano's team is searching for specific genes that instruct bacteria on how to protect themselves from antibiotics by producing a protective coat called a "biofilm". This glue-like substance anchors millions of bacteria together and to the airways and results in antibiotic resistance. The identification of novel genes in B. cepacia complex may serve as targets for discovery of new antibacterial therapies.
"Despite the ups and downs of CF, I have lived a relatively normal life," said Jacquie Romano, the 31-year-old Chair of the CCFF's National Adult CF Committee and resident of Waterdown, Ontario. "However, having a B. cepacia complex infection in my lungs is very distressing and challenging; in addition to what it can do to me, I can't be in personal contact with other people with cystic fibrosis who don't have B. cepacia complex for fear of spreading the bacterium. This initiative gives me hope that researchers will find answers to this devastating problem."
"In addition to the ICRH, funds for this project have been provided, in part, by CCFF partners including our Celebrity Patron, Céline Dion, the Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs of Canada, Zellers, Laura O'Reilly, widow of the late Michael O'Reilly, and two Toronto families," said Cathleen Morrison, Chief Executive Officer at the CCFF.
Mr. O'Reilly, who died in 1999 of complications related to CF, was an award-winning advertising copywriter who had worked with Zellers on its advertising campaigns. Zellers generously made a donation in his name, which Laura O'Reilly directed to the CCFF.
"The ICRH is pleased to be working in partnership with the CCFF on this new initiative aimed at a challenging infection caused by B. cepacia complex," said Dr. Bruce McManus, CIHR Scientific Director. "The researchers who are taking on the task of determining why certain people are so susceptible to this very communicable organism are a great Canadian team. We wish them the best in their difficult quest."
"Although families involved with cystic fibrosis have much to be thankful for in the last decade, there is a great need for more research such as the O'Reilly initiative," added Dr. McManus.
Cystic fibrosis (CF), which attacks the lungs and the digestive system, is one of the most deadly inherited diseases affecting Canadian children and young adults. The CCFF is a world leader in the fight against CF. Canadians discovered the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis in 1989, and continue to play a leading role in the worldwide race to develop new treatments for the disease. With developments in research and treatment in Canada, the median age of survival has increased from four years in 1960, to over 30 years today.
CIHR is Canada's premier agency for health research. Its objective is to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products and a strengthened health care system.
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Note to broadcasters:
The University of Western Ontario has a VideoRoute service and can arrange live broadcast interviews. Please call (519) 661-2111 ext.85165 or ext. 85468 for more information.
Media may download a photo of Jacquie Romano from the CCFF Web site.
Further Information:
Andrew Matejcic, CIHR, (613) 954-7143, amatejcic@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
June Pierotti, CCFF , (416) 485-9149 ext. 228, jpierotti@cysticfibrosis.ca, The Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Marcia Daniel, UWO, (519) 661-2111 ext. 85468, mdaniel@uwo.ca
