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MILWAUKEE (2/16/2009) - The Cystic Fibrosis Center has been named a Therapeutic Development Center by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The center, which is comprised of the clinics at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin, will receive funding for research staff and equipment as a result of the designation. The grant, sponsored by Children's Research Institute, is awarded to The Medical College.
The center also becomes eligible to participate in clinical trials with cystic fibrosis centers nationwide. The result of this type of collaboration is a more efficient and effective trial design that moves drug trials into larger studies faster.
"Current cystic fibrosis research looks at the consequences of the disease. Our center will participate in Phase II and III studies on the genetic basis of the disease, hoping to find the defect and fix it," said Diana Quintero, MD, pediatric pulmonologist at Children's Hospital and assistant professor of Pediatrics (Pulmonary) at The Medical College. "This designation will enhance our ability to implement translational research, where results from these studies impact the patients we see in clinic today."
Cystic fibrosis is a congenital disease that affects 30,000 individuals in the U.S. The center, one of the top 10 centers for pediatric outcomes in pulmonary function in the nation, follows 275 patients. In collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the center helped Wisconsin become one of the first two states to institute newborn screening for cystic fibrosis.
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