After losing their daughter Chloe to cystic fibrosis, Professor Tom and Grace Baxter wanted to support research being undertaken at the University of Aberdeen. With the help of Chloe's consultant, Professor Graham Devereux, they established Chloe's Fund in memory of their daughter, and this has enabled the University to recruit PhD students to undertake cystic fibrosis research over a number of years.
Current PhD student Elisia Josiah is working alongside Professor Heather Wilson to explore how CFTR modulators influence the immune response in cells which play a crucial role in fighting off infections in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. Ultimately, this research could pave the way for new therapeutic strategies that not only correct the underlying genetic defect but also bolster the body's natural defences against infections.
Here Elisia tells us how the funding is impacting her research which could improve the lives of people affected by this devastating condition.
“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Chloe's Fund for the generous support that has been instrumental in funding my PhD studies. Your assistance enables me to pursue my research project, which investigates how new cystic fibrosis treatments affect the immune system, particularly macrophages, in response to a common fungal infection caused by Aspergillus fumigatus. Additionally, this project has shown that the new treatments slow down the growth of the fungus.
“Thanks to funding from Chloe's Fund, I was able to obtain stem cells from a cystic fibrosis charity in Canada, specifically the SickKids Program for Individual CF Therapy. These unique stem cells come from individuals with cystic fibrosis, which means I do not need to take blood samples from patients. This allows me to assess the effects of the drugs on macrophages from people with cystic fibrosis who have not been exposed to the new treatments. This is important as most people with cystic fibrosis are already prescribed and taking the treatments we want to test. We also obtained stem cells from the patients, where the mutation was corrected by gene editing, as well as stem cells from people without a cystic fibrosis mutation. Without your support, this important work would not be possible.
“During my second year, I have made considerable progress in my research. I have been optimising the production of these macrophages from stem cells and have begun conducting experiments on them, especially how they engulf and kill fungi. I have been examining the effects of the new drugs on the growth of a fungus that is common in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis (Aspergillus fumigatus) and have found that these therapies delay the growth of the fungus. This is important as this will help alleviate the infection in the lungs. Further studies are underway to better understand the mechanisms behind this effect and how it influences the macrophages response to this fungus. Your support has been instrumental in achieving the necessary experiments to produce these results.
“The conference grant has allowed me to attend conferences across the UK. I have participated in two conferences - the Scottish Immunology Groups Network (SIGNET) in Dundee and the British Society of Medical Mycology (BSMM) annual conference in Norwich. I am also set to present a poster at the British Society of Immunology (BSI) conference in December. Attending these events has enabled me to present my work and receive valuable feedback from leading experts in the field. This would not have been possible without the support of Chloe's Fund. It has also been very rewarding to publicise Chloe’s Fund to the meeting participants.”
