Background
This research project was brought to us 3 years ago and we were asked to fund it with some of the money that sits in our scholarship fund. If you attended the walk in 2019, you may have heard CF clinical nurse Sharon Hunt talk about the testing and progress. The research has now been completed and we are so pleased to see some positive results and the starting blocks for larger investigation into a potential vaccine for Mycobacterium Abscessus. So, what exactly is Mycobacterium Absecessus? Mycobacterium Absecessus is a mycobacterium with rapid growth that is multi-drug resistant and frequently contaminates soil and water. This mycobacteria can cause a wide range of infections, which in turn can cause lung infections, which can be extremely harmful for patients who live with chronic lung conditions like Cystic Fibrosis. Due to its complicated resistance to the majority of antibiotic classes, this bacteria is one of the most drug-resistant species of Mycobacteria, which is a problem. In the interview that follows, Dr. Paul Robinson discusses the ongoing investigation into Mycobacterium Absecessus.
Research update with Dr. Paul Robinson
Children's Hospital at Westmead · Department of Respiratory Medicine - MBChB MRCPCH FRACP PhD
“Dr. Robinson would this study have been possible without the fund raising dollars from events like Wyatt’s Walk, and what happens next?”
No, it would not be possible without donations such as those from Wyatt’s Walk. This type of funding is so important to research. It enabled us to get a research program up and running and gain the initial exciting results that we can now use to apply for larger research funding grants.
“Dr. Robinson, why has the current research (Developing a vaccine for Mycobacterium abscessus infection in CF patients) focused on this particular infection?"
Mycobacterium abscessus has emerged in recent years as a common and particularly difficult infection to treat in Cystic Fibrosis patients. It is resistant to all almost all antibiotics we currently have available, and at the present time there is no vaccine to prevent it.
“How does this affect people with CF?”
It very easily colonises the lung, the sticky mucous layer providing an excellent home for this bacteria to stick to and grow. This makes it even more difficult to treat, as this “biofilm” provides an extra shield from the antibiotics. In severe cases, M. abscessus infection can cause rapid lung function decline, and even prevent CF patients from receiving life-saving lung transplants.
“What was the focus of your lab based research?”
Our research has focused on understanding more about how Mycobacterium abscessus infects the lung and how our immune system responds to fight it. By studying the key mediators of this immune process, we have been able to identify the most important players in clearing the infection, and used these to try to develop new vaccines to prevent it in the first place.
“Monies raised through Wyatt’s Walk for Cystic Fibrosis funded the lab testing. What were the findings of this research?”
Our studies have shown these vaccines elicit a very strong immune response when tested in animal models, arming the immune system to be ready to fight the incoming infection. Importantly, our studies have shown that these vaccines can provide significant protection against infection by reducing the number of bacteria in the lungs when exposed to the bacteria.
“Is the result from these findings a positive outcome for CF patients?"
These findings highlight the potential to develop a vaccine against M. abscessus, reducing the risk of this infection from causing significant lung function decline and suffering to CF patients.