The Cystic Fibrosis Trust has announced a £10 million research partnership with the University of Cambridge to create the first UK Cystic Fibrosis Innovation Hub to develop life-changing new treatments for people with cystic fibrosis (CF).

The CF Innovation Hub will be hosted by the Department of Medicine and will be led by Professor Andres Floto (Group Leader in the Department of Medicine Molecular Immunity Unit and Research Director of the Cambridge Centre for Lung Infection at Papworth Hospital). It will harness existing collaborations between Professor Floto’s group and those of Sir Tom Blundell (Biochemistry), Chris Abell (Chemistry), Ludovic Vallier (Stem Cell Institute), Julian Parkhill (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute) and John Winn (Microsoft Research Cambridge) to deliver new treatments for bacterial infections, chronic inflammation, and lung repair for people with CF.

The Innovation Hub will also support CF research across the UK by creating a number of national collaborative research networks and providing resources, funding, and training for researchers from other centres.

David Ramsden, Chief Executive of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, said

Forming this partnership now will ensure a central focus for world-class cystic fibrosis research within the University of Cambridge and provide a step change in CF research across the country.”