Our Research
Members of the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology are involved in designing and leading Clinical Trials that study new diagnostic tests and treatments and evaluate their effects on human health outcomes relating to fungal infections.
We have multiple clinical trials currently underway, and one example is the cASPerCF trial. This study will test a drug called posaconazole in children and young people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) who have Aspergillus infection. The trial is being coordinated by the University of Exeter, UK, in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital Bambino Gesu in Rome, Italy.
Over half of people with CF have Aspergillus in their lungs and sometimes this can cause problems with breathing and can make lung function go down more quickly. We do not know the best way to manage Aspergillus infections in children and young people, and different CF centres treat Aspergillus infection in different ways. We need to find a better way to treat Aspergillus so that all CF centres can manage it in the same way.
The cASPerCF trial will test an antifungal medication called posaconazole in children and young people. We do not know the best dose to give children and young people to make sure that posaconazole works as well as it can. The trial will tell us which dose of posaconazole is best and results in clearing Aspergillus infection, minimising inflammation and stopping drops in lung function.
We will know if the trial has been successful if the posaconazole dose used gives sufficient levels in blood, and if it is able to clear Aspergillus infection, reduce inflammation, and stop lung function going down. We are also interested to know if children and young people feel better after having the treatment, and what being better feels like to them.
This project has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 777389. The Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA.
