Researchers in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine are part of a national effort to build a cystic fibrosis patient registry and evaluate the pan-microbiome to better understand the disease.

Adult Cystic Fibrosis Patient Registry

The NYU Langone Adult Cystic Fibrosis Center participates in the National Cystic Fibrosis Patient Registry. Maintained by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation since 1985, the registry houses information on more than 25,000 patients from more than 110 cystic fibrosis care centers across the United States. Registry data contribute to epidemiological research, such as analyses of physician practice patterns and clinical outcomes. Rany Condos, MD, is the principal investigator of the registry at NYU Langone. Other investigators include Nancy E. Amoroso, MD; Leopoldo N. Segal, MD; and Adrienne Scott.

Registry, Funding, and Contact Information

Current clinical trials in this area of research include the following:

• Clinical Trials: Registry ID 15-00314; NCT01915511; ID 17-00241
• Funding sources: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; Boehringer Ingelheim; NYU Langone’s Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine
• For more information, please contact Adrienne Scott at adrienne.scott@nyulangone.org.

Pan-Microbiome and Host Immune Response in Cystic Fibrosis

Recurrent pulmonary infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis. By using culture-independent techniques, the Cystic Fibrosis Microbiome Research Team, consisting of principal investigator Dr. Segal and colleagues Dr. Condos, Ms. Scott, and Stephanie Lau, MD, show that the lung microbial ecosystem is interdependent with the microbial ecosystems in contiguous mucous membranes. Dr. Segal’s work also shows that a distinct lung microbiome characterized by enrichment with oral anaerobes is associated with an inflammatory phenotype.

Other areas of study include the temporal and spatial differences in the lung microbiome and their association with host inflammatory responses, airway injury, and decline in lung function. Our researchers are assembling a multicenter cohort for longitudinal studies to evaluate changes in inflammatory biomarkers and the microbiome in three anatomic sites: the airway, the oral cavity, and the gut. Using a two-bronchoscope technique to perform bronchoscopy, we aim to validate the use of sputum to sample the lower airway microbiome.

The goal of a pan-microbiome approach is to determine whether an interdependence between the microbial environments of different mucous membranes and unique lung niche-specific features is relevant for disease progression. The researchers plan to assess whether cystic fibrosis patients with a rapid decline in lung function have a higher preponderance of disease-related pathogens or supraglottic taxa, greater resistance to aerosolized antibiotics, and higher levels of inflammatory markers.

Registry, Funding, and Contact Information

Current clinical trials in this area of research include the following:

• Clinical Trials: Registry NCT02778750
• Funding source: NYU Langone’s Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine
• For more information, please contact Adrienne Scott at adrienne.scott@nyulangone.org.