Sharktank Research was formed in 1998 to find a cure to cystic fibrosis through extensive research, critical analysis, and the exchange of ideas. The members of the group either have cystic fibrosis or have children with it.
Cystic fibrosis is the most common genetic, fatal disease. Fortunately, over the last decade, there have been major advancements in CF research, including the hallmark discovery in 1989 of the malfunctioning CFTR protein, which is the cause of the disease.
Since the discovery of this missing protein, the number of scientific studies published on CF has increased from approximately 300 per year to over 1000 per year. Because of the sheer volume of studies, many are published and then shelved and forgotten, which leaves many potential therapies unexplored. To lose a single life to this disease due to unexplored science or lack of organization is tragic.
Enter Sharktank. Because medical studies are published in scientific and medical journals, they are accessible through the internet. In searching for answers, we, as members of Sharktank, have dedicated ourselves to find, understand, compile and synthesize a decade of CF research from around the world.
As we compile and synthesize the work of the world's leading researchers, we are understanding the pathogenesis of CF for the first time: we are understanding exactly what the elements are that cause the cascade of destruction in a person with CF. We are finding what elements are missing from a person with CF and ways of restoring those missing elements.
The lungs are the organs that interact most with the outside world. The epithelial fluid that lines our lungs is the first line of defense against the pathogens and debris that enter us with each breath we take. To maintain the antimicrobial functioning of the epithelial fluid, the epithelial cells transport vital compounds produced inside of them to the outside of the cell into the epithelial fluid.
The CFTR protein acts as a door for the cell to let these compounds out. In cystic fibrosis, this door does not work. The result is that compounds are trapped inside the cell that otherwise would fight infection and reduce inflammation. This malfunctioning door leaves individuals with CF open to the ravages of the pathogens living everywhere around us: in our sinks, in the water fountain, in sponges, in aquariums, in the air, the soil, in trees and in refrigerators.
Sharktank now knows which compounds are trapped inside of CF epithelial cells and we have an understanding of how to replenish these compounds to the fluid lining the lung and to the other organs that are also missing these compounds. This research spells hope for people with CF.
Sharktank has over 100 members, including scientists, microbiologists, professors, medical doctors, chemists, pharmacists, electrical engineers, home-makers, and even a bill collector! The first product of our research was a paper on the usefulness of inhaled glutathione as a CF therapy. Did anyone listen? Yes! Many major researchers in the field have now announced research and clinical trials involving inhaled glutathione.
Since the publication of that paper in late 1998, Sharktank has moved forward and discovered more precisely what could STOP this fatal disease. Through the dedication of Sharktank members, we hope to make a difference in the lives of people with cystic fibrosis.
Here is a list of topics that we have promoted through the years:
* Isothiocyanates
* Azithromycin
* Glutathione
* Metallothionein
* Hydrogen Peroxide
* Magnesium
* DHA
Cystic fibrosis is the most common genetic, fatal disease. Fortunately, over the last decade, there have been major advancements in CF research, including the hallmark discovery in 1989 of the malfunctioning CFTR protein, which is the cause of the disease.
Since the discovery of this missing protein, the number of scientific studies published on CF has increased from approximately 300 per year to over 1000 per year. Because of the sheer volume of studies, many are published and then shelved and forgotten, which leaves many potential therapies unexplored. To lose a single life to this disease due to unexplored science or lack of organization is tragic.
Enter Sharktank. Because medical studies are published in scientific and medical journals, they are accessible through the internet. In searching for answers, we, as members of Sharktank, have dedicated ourselves to find, understand, compile and synthesize a decade of CF research from around the world.
As we compile and synthesize the work of the world's leading researchers, we are understanding the pathogenesis of CF for the first time: we are understanding exactly what the elements are that cause the cascade of destruction in a person with CF. We are finding what elements are missing from a person with CF and ways of restoring those missing elements.
The lungs are the organs that interact most with the outside world. The epithelial fluid that lines our lungs is the first line of defense against the pathogens and debris that enter us with each breath we take. To maintain the antimicrobial functioning of the epithelial fluid, the epithelial cells transport vital compounds produced inside of them to the outside of the cell into the epithelial fluid.
The CFTR protein acts as a door for the cell to let these compounds out. In cystic fibrosis, this door does not work. The result is that compounds are trapped inside the cell that otherwise would fight infection and reduce inflammation. This malfunctioning door leaves individuals with CF open to the ravages of the pathogens living everywhere around us: in our sinks, in the water fountain, in sponges, in aquariums, in the air, the soil, in trees and in refrigerators.
Sharktank now knows which compounds are trapped inside of CF epithelial cells and we have an understanding of how to replenish these compounds to the fluid lining the lung and to the other organs that are also missing these compounds. This research spells hope for people with CF.
Sharktank has over 100 members, including scientists, microbiologists, professors, medical doctors, chemists, pharmacists, electrical engineers, home-makers, and even a bill collector! The first product of our research was a paper on the usefulness of inhaled glutathione as a CF therapy. Did anyone listen? Yes! Many major researchers in the field have now announced research and clinical trials involving inhaled glutathione.
Since the publication of that paper in late 1998, Sharktank has moved forward and discovered more precisely what could STOP this fatal disease. Through the dedication of Sharktank members, we hope to make a difference in the lives of people with cystic fibrosis.
Here is a list of topics that we have promoted through the years:
* Isothiocyanates
* Azithromycin
* Glutathione
* Metallothionein
* Hydrogen Peroxide
* Magnesium
* DHA