Cystic fibrosis patients may breathe easier, thanks to bioengineered antimicrobials

By better understanding how **antimicrobials** bind and thereby get inactivated in the mucus of air passages, researchers at the University of Illinois may have found a way to help **cystic fibrosis** patients fight off deadly **infections**. Ordinarily, pulmonary passages are lined with a thin layer of mucus that traps **bacteria** and other **pathogens**. Moved along by the motions of countless cilia, the mucus also acts as a conveyor belt that disposes of the debris. In patients with cystic fibrosis, however, the mucus is more like molasses – thick and viscous. Because the cilia can no longer move the mucus, the layer becomes stuck, and the bacteria grow, multiply and colonize. Long-term bacterial infections are the primary cause of death in cystic fibrosis. Using synchrotron X-ray scattering and molecular dynamics simulations, the researchers took a closer look at the mucous mess.... Whole article: "http://www.physorg.com":[ http://www.physorg.com/news109945152.html]

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