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Dropping acid to help cystic fibrosis

Nature Medicine volume 14, pages 367–369 (2008)Cite this article

Vesicular accumulation of the membrane component ceramide may underlie key aspects of lung pathology in cystic fibrosis (pages 382–391).

Breathing is basic—as anyone who has ever struggled for adequate oxygen, which is virtually everyone, can readily attest. Compromises to the lung that affect oxygenation of tissues can seriously threaten health. The lungs, like other mucosal surfaces, are major ports of entry for microbes, but mammals must keep their lungs sterile, unlike the gastrointestinal or vaginal mucosa. They do so by relying on an effective innate and adaptive immune system to rapidly clear pathogens while minimizing consequences from inflammatory responses.

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Figure 1: Enhancing inflammation and infection in the cystic fibrosis–affected airway.

Kim Caesar

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  1. Gerald B. Pier is at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Ave, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. gpier@rics.bwh.harvard.edu,

    Gerald B Pier

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  1. Gerald B Pier
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Pier, G. Dropping acid to help cystic fibrosis. Nat Med 14, 367–369 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0408-367

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