Advancing CF Science: Emily’s Entourage Announces New 2025 Research Grants
EE Awards Research Grants to Fuel Innovation for the Final 10%
Emily’s Entourage is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of our Translational Research Grants—four exciting projects driven by one goal: accelerating lifesaving research and drug development for those in the final 10% of the cystic fibrosis (CF) community who are still waiting for their breakthrough.
Recent advances have reshaped the future for 90% of the CF community—but for the outlying 10%, that future is still out of reach. These grants are about changing that. They’re about refusing to accept the status quo, investing in promising science that pushes faster and reaches further, and turning the tide for those left behind.
“From gene editing technologies that could provide treatments for mutations that are unresponsive to current CFTR modulators to the development of phage therapies for multidrug-resistant bacteria that can drive disease progression and mortality in people with CF, these grants deepen EE’s portfolio and get us closer to lifesaving treatments for all people with CF.”
— Chandra Ghose, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer
Accelerating Gene Editing Strategies for Rare CF Mutations
David R. Liu, PhD | Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Using advanced prime editing and computational modeling, this project aims to rapidly develop personalized gene editing therapies for those with CF who lack mutation-targeted treatments.
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Fighting Back Against Drug-Resistant Infections
Anca Segall, PhD | San Diego State University
This project investigates phage-antibiotic combinations to combat the drug-resistant Achromobacter infection, aiming to restore treatment effectiveness and expand options for those facing some of the most difficult-to-treat infections.
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Targeting Nonsense Mutations with Precision Readthrough Therapy
Andrei Korostelev, PhD | UMass Chan Medical School
Using readthrough antisense oligonucleotides (R-ASOs) to bypass premature stop signals in the CFTR mRNA, this research aims to restore functional protein production and unlock targeted therapies for those with nonsense mutations of CF.
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Replacing Faulty CFTR Gene Segments with Retron Editors
Ilya Finkelstein, PhD | University of Texas at Austin
By developing retron editors to rewrite faulty CFTR gene segments, this work lays the groundwork for a one-size-fits-many gene editing approach—aiming to deliver durable treatments for individuals with CF that don’t benefit from existing CFTR modulator therapies.
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These four grants build on Emily’s Entourage’s pioneering research grant program. Since 2011, Emily’s Entourage has awarded 42 grants to researchers from six countries, helping to secure an additional $52.3 million in follow-funding across a variety of therapeutic approaches.
For those still waiting, this is more than research. It’s forward movement—momentum toward real solutions, and a future free of CF.
It can’t possibly come soon enough.
Read more about Emily’s Entourage’s awarded grants and available funding opportunities.
