Irish and US scientists have made a major breakthrough in relation to cystic fibrosis (CF), which could lead to new treatments that help patients breathe easier.

CF is a hereditary disease that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system. It is caused by a defective gene, which along with its protein product, causes the body to produce unusually thick and sticky mucous.

This mucous clogs the lungs, leading to potentially life-threatening lung infections. Ireland has the highest prevalence of the disease in the developed world.

However, scientists from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), University College Dublin (UCD) and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio have discovered why mucus in the lungs of people with CF is thick, sticky and hard to cough up, leaving these patients more at risk of infection.

They have found that, contrary to previous belief, with CF, inflammation causes new molecular bonds to develop within mucus, changing it from a liquid to an elastic sludge-like substance.

Furthermore, the scientists have also had some success in the laboratory exploring potential new therapies to dissolve these molecular bonds, changing the mucus back to a liquid, which is easier for the lungs to clear.

The scientists warned that while they have applied for funding for their new therapeutic approach, ‘there are at least five years of testing ahead before we can say we have a new medication'.

However, they also noted that their findings could have implications for other lung conditions which also involve thick mucus, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Science Translational Medicine.