Altered gene activity in a newly discovered type of cell could be to blame in cystic fibrosis Stockdevil/Getty
A completely new type of cell has been discovered in the human airway, and it may have a central role in the common genetic disorder cystic fibrosis.
The discovery came out of a census of all the cells in the windpipe and lungs, led by Allon Klein at Harvard Medical School and Aron Jaffe at the pharamaceutical company Novartis. They analysed gene activity in epithelial cells – which line membranes – taken from human lungs and the trachea of mice.
They found a specialised…
