WORLD CYSTIC FIBROSIS DAY: 8 NEW RESEARCH PROJECTS AND 1 STRATEGIC PROJECT
Once again this year, research into cystic fibrosis is taking a new step forward. FFC Ricerca will support 8 projects through the 2026 calls for proposals, in addition to a new strategic project focusing on nonsense mutations, alterations in the CFTR gene for which no targeted therapies capable of acting on the origin of the disease are yet available.
The new research projects, which will get underway in the coming months, were selected from 54 proposals received in January through the annual call for proposals and 15 submitted under the Gianni Mastella calls. In total, 17 researchers will be involved as Principal Investigators and Partners.
With the funding allocated in 2026, FFC Ricerca’s investment exceeds 3.4 million euros over three years. This commitment brings the total number of initiatives supported by the Foundation since 2002 to 522 and the total resources allocated to cystic fibrosis research to over 46 million euros.
Behind these numbers lie studies addressing some of the unresolved issues surrounding the disease: from the search for new therapeutic strategies to the fight against infections, from the study of inflammation to increasingly personalised approaches.
This research therefore continues to advance on several fronts, keeping pace with developments in cystic fibrosis and the needs of those affected by it, all united by a desire to turn new insights into tangible opportunities for people with cystic fibrosis.
The winner of the Gianni Mastella Research Fellowship: Marco Mergiotti
The scholarships named after Prof. Gianni Mastella, a pioneer of Italian research into cystic fibrosis, co-founder of FFC Ricerca and our Scientific Director until his death in 2021, aim to support young researchers whose work focuses on the study of CF.
The winner of the 2026 GMRF is Dr Marco Mergiotti, a researcher at the Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences at the University of Turin. His project, GMRF#1/2026, which will run for three years, will investigate the mechanisms governing the transport, stability and opening of the CFTR channel on the cell membrane, to enhance the action of CFTR modulators.
Restart-CFTR
The new strategic project aims to develop a treatment for people with cystic fibrosis and stop mutations, for whom no targeted drugs capable of acting on the underlying cause of the disease are yet available.
The strategy is based on ACE-tRNAs, specialised RNA molecules designed to bypass the stop signal introduced by the mutation and allow the cell to complete the production of the CFTR protein.
The Restart-CFTR project will also tackle one of the main challenges: delivering these technologies to airway cells in an effective and targeted manner, laying the foundations for a new therapeutic option.
Discover the newly funded projects
Innovative therapies and approaches to correct the underlying genetic defect
Two projects have been funded in this area. The FFC#1/2026 project will investigate new molecular targets to protect CFTR RNA with stop mutations from degradation, with a view to identifying new treatment options for those who currently have no available treatment. Also in this area is the winner of the Gianni Mastella Research Fellowship, GMRF#1/2026, which will investigate the mechanisms regulating CFTR transport, stability, and opening at the cell membrane to enhance the action of CFTR modulators.
Personalized therapies
Not all people with cystic fibrosis derive the same benefit from CFTR modulators. In some cases, cellular damage and prolonged inflammation can, in fact, limit their effectiveness. The FFC#2/2026 project will test a class of anti-inflammatory molecules to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation and assess whether this can improve the response to modulators, even in people with rare mutations or who respond less well to the drugs.
Bronchopulmonary infection therapies
The three projects funded in this area aim to develop new strategies to combat some of the bacteria responsible for the most difficult-to-treat infections in cystic fibrosis. In 2026, research will focus in particular on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacterium abscessus.
Two projects concern P. aeruginosa. Project FFC#4/2026 will test drugs already used for other diseases to target a protein that helps the bacterium survive in harsh conditions and evade the immune system, to reduce its survival in the airways. The FFC#5/2026 project, on the other hand, aims to develop a vaccine capable of protecting against different variants of P. aeruginosa and preventing chronic infections.
The FFC#3/2026 project, dedicated to M. abscessus, will develop an innovative technology that uses an antibody as a ‘shuttle’ to transport antibiotics directly into cells infected by the bacterium.
Therapies for pulmonary inflammation
The FFC#6/2026 project falls within this area and will investigate the origin of the chronic inflammation typical of cystic fibrosis. In particular, the project seeks to determine whether this condition may originate in the bone marrow and whether it is possible to intervene to alter its function.
Clinical and epidemiological research
In this area, funding will be provided for the FFC#7/2026 project, which will investigate, for the first time, the role of the CFTR protein in placental development and will help to better define the safety profile of CFTR modulators during pregnancy.
The FFC Ricerca 2026 projects
The new research projects are now available for adoption. Research has already profoundly transformed the landscape of cystic fibrosis, but significant challenges remain. Adopting a project means making a tangible contribution to advancing new studies towards a future in which every person with cystic fibrosis can have a chance of a cure.
For information and funding, please contact Caterina Novaria: caterina.novaria@fibrosicisticaricerca.it | 045 8127029
THE 24TH NATIONAL CAMPAIGN IS ALSO GETTING UNDERWAY
During the press conference held on 8 September in Milan, all the projects open for adoption were announced, and the 24th FFC Research National Campaign was also presented; in October, this will bring the ‘Ciclamino della Ricerca’ back to Italian town squares. Thanks to the commitment of volunteers from the Foundation’s Delegations and Support Groups, the Campaign will help raise public awareness of cystic fibrosis and raise funds to support new scientific projects.
Stalls set up by volunteers will be found in many squares across Italy and at Tecnomat outlets on weekends throughout October to raise funds and let hope blossom together.
14th Charity Bike Tour
The 14th edition of the Charity Bike Tour, scheduled from 30 September to 3 October 2026, will kick off the 24th National Campaign. The charity cycle ride, conceived in 2012 by FFC Ricerca president Matteo Marzotto, will feature a team of sporting champions and cyclists riding in solidarity, undertaking a picturesque multi-stage route through lakes and mountains, from Lecco to Biella.
There will be four days of cycling, meetings and personal accounts, aimed at raising awareness and providing information about the disease, as well as raising funds for research, with the support of volunteers from the FFC Ricerca Delegations and Support Groups active across the country. Joining Matteo Marzotto on the ride will be: Gianni Bugno, Davide Cassani, Alessandra Fior, Francesco Moser, Bruno Sanetti, Gilberto Simoni and Stefano Zanini; alongside them will be the cyclists from the ‘historic core’ comprising Iader Fabbri, Max Lelli and Fabrizio Macchi. The group will also be joined by Edoardo Hensemberger, an FFC Ricerca ambassador and a person living with cystic fibrosis, and Nora Shkreli, who will be cycling on a tandem with the FFC Ricerca president.
The Third Awareness Campaign
October will end with the 1 in 30 and you don’t know it Healthy Carrier Awareness Week, running from 19 to 25 October. Now in its third year, the initiative is sponsored by ANCI – the National Association of Italian Municipalities – and aims to raise awareness of the genetic test that identifies healthy carriers of cystic fibrosis. Anyone born with cystic fibrosis has inherited two mutated copies of the CFTR gene: one from each parent, both of whom are healthy carriers. In Italy, 1 in 30 people is a healthy carrier of cystic fibrosis and is often unaware of it. Every couple of two healthy carriers of cystic fibrosis has a one in four chance with each pregnancy of having a child with CF.
Numerous Italian local authorities will be lighting up their most iconic monuments in green to raise public awareness and support the information campaign run by FFC Ricerca on the healthy carrier test for cystic fibrosis: a tool available to everyone that can radically change the outlook for thousands of families.
