Yale researchers have identified a possible driver of the persistent inflammation that causes irreversible lung damage in patients with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that impairs breathing and digestion. In a new study, the scientists uncovered how a type of white blood cell called a monocyte initiates a molecular chain of events that leads to sustained inflammation in the lungs and lung tissue damage. They also found that a drug that targets the monocytes was able to slow the progression of tissue damage in a mouse model of cystic fibrosis, suggesting it could be an effective treatment for cystic fibrosis in the future. The findings were published December 13, 2022 in Cell Reports. The open-access article is titled “Recruited Monocytes/Macrophages Drive Pulmonary Neutrophilic Inflammation and Irreversible Lung Tissue Remodeling in Cystic Fibrosis.”