DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF Those AFFECTED BY CYSTIC FIBROSIS

Student CF Research Award Recipients:
​Summer 2015

Molly Bates is a senior pre-medical major at Eastern Kentucky University.
Elle Lefebvre is a senior at Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad, CA. She has a younger brother with CF and has done a student medical      internship in a hospital in the Philippines.

​Molly and Elle researched the possibility of a laboratory method to accurately predict clinical patient response to VX-770, a new CF treatment being developed by a pharmaceutical company called Vertex. They performed experiments and analysis to measure chloride currents across epithelial cell membranes from several patients, some of whom expressed rare CF mutations. That lab data was compared to actual clinical response data from the same patients to determine a correlation between a  given patient’s in vivo and in vitro response to VX-770. This research is aimed at identifying a test that can determine which patients with rare CFTR mutations (in whom VX-770 is not being tested) would  likely benefit from VX-770. This type of personalized medicine may be the future standard of care for CF and many other illnesses.
 
“ Thank you for this life-changing opportunity. I have been    accepted at and have the honor to choose between three great medical schools. I feel the Elizabeth Nash Foundation Summer Research Award and my experience at CHORI helped to make that possible. It was a glowing point on my resume, and the research experience and factual knowledge I gained made me a more qualified medical school candidate. I hope many more students can have this experience in your daughter's honor.”             - Molly
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Elle and Molly
“ I aspire to enter the field of pediatrics and work with chronically ill children. My internship at CHORI has provided a solid foundation of biomedical research experience. As my younger brother has cystic fibrosis, it has meant a lot to me to have the opportunity to work with Drs. Fischer and Illek studying new treatment options for people with CF.                                                                                                     - Elle
Student CF Research Award Publications

Bustillo ME, Juarez L, Meiss L, Fischer H, Gruenert DC, Illek B (2013). Heat Shock Activates Transgene CFTR Cl Channels. FASEB J, Apr 2013; 26:696.1
 
Illek B, Fischer HB, Bustillo ME, Meiss L, Juarez L, Gruenert  DC, (2013) . Heat Shock Enhances CMV      promoter-driven CFTR Expression in CF airways. Ped. Pulmonol. 48, suppl. 35, 230.  
  
Sellers ZM, Illek B, Figueria M, Hari G, Joo NS, Sibley E,  Fischer H,  Wine JJ (2015)  PGE2-stimulated Cl- secretion and mucociliary clearance in cystic fibrosis airway. Ped. Pulmonol. 50, suppl. 39, 236.
 
Fischer H, Echavia K, Finkbeiner W,  Illek B (2015). Growth inhibition of P. aeruginosa by an alkaline airway pH in a bacterial-epithelial coculture system. Ped. Pulmonol. 50, suppl. 39, 238.
 
Illek B, Zlock L, Boecking C, Olshansky S, Echavia K, Gopika H, Pangilinan E, Finkbeiner WE, Fischer H (2015) Conditionally reprogrammed cells for personalized medicine in cystic fibrosis. Ped. Pulmonol. 50, suppl 39, 256-257. 
 
Illek B, Meiss L, Modlin S,  Cohen F, Gruenert DC,  Fischer H (2010). Hyperactivation and protection of CFTR Cl transport by brief hyperthermic treatment. Ped. Pulmonol. 45, suppl 33, 257.

Illek B, Bustillo ME; Spence, S, Fischer H, Gruenert D (2011) Enhancement of CFTR correction by brief hyperthermic treatment and DNA methyltransferase inhibitor. Ped. Pulmonol. 46, suppl 34, 232.

Lauren Meiss, Role of CFTR and p53 during Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Homoserine Lactone-Induced Apoptosis and    Epithelial Barrier Breakdown. Honor Thesis. Arizona State University.

lllek B, Meiss L, Modlin S,  Cohen F,  Gruenert D, Howard M, Fischer H (2009) Heat shock response protects against pyocyanin-induced loss of CFTR function in bronchial epithelial cells. Free Rad Biol Med., 47 suppl 1, S101.

lllek B,  Fischer H,  Streich-Tilles T, Cheng A,  Ames BN,  Jiang Q,  Peden DB (2007) Duox1-mediated release of hydrogen peroxide is modified by vitamin C. Am J Respir. Crit. Care Med., A126.

Fischer H, Streich-Tilles T, Illek B (2008) Expression and Function of the HVCN1 proton channel in airways. (2008). Ped. Pulmonol., suppl 31, 244.

Illek, B, Suh, JH, Kim E, Barber KJ, Fischer H, Gruenert D, Schwarzer C, Machen TE (2008) Oxidative stress by pyocyanin inhibits Cl- transport in wildtype CFTR corrected cystic fibrosis bronchial epithelial cells. Ped. Pulmonol., suppl 31,228, 322.

Schwarzer C , Fischer H, Kim EJ, Barber KJ,  Mills AD,  Kurth MJ, Gruenert DC,  Suh JH,  Machen TE, Illek B (2008) Oxidative Stress caused by pyocyanin impairs CFTR Cl- Transport In Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells. Free Radical Biology & Medicine. 45(12): 1653-62.

Maurisse R, Illek B, Cheung J, Wahler L, Fischer H, Gruenert DC (2006) Episomal expression of the entire 6.2kb CFTR cDNA corrects defective Cl secretion across polarized cystic fibrosis airways. Ped. Pulmonol., suppl. 29, 290.

Illek B, Maurisse R, Fischer H,  Wahler L, Gruenert DC (2007). Enhanced ATP-stimulated Cl secretion after complementation of CF airway epithelia cells with WT-CFTR. Ped. Pulmonol., suppl.30, 250.

Illek B, Maurisse R, Wahler L,  Kunzelmann K,  Fischer H, Gruenert DC (2008) Cl- Transport in Complemented CF Bronchial Epithelial Cells Correlates with CFTR mRNA Expression Levels. J. Cellular Physiol. Biochem. 22:57-68.