To enable greater patient involvement in clinical drug trials, and speed the development of new therapies, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Inc. (CFFT), a nonprofit affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, is investing more than $3 million to expand its clinical research network.

CFFT is making awards to 45 sites in the United States and one in Canada, to help the centers further develop their ability to conduct safe and effective cystic fibrosis clinical trials through training, resources and infrastructure support. The U.S. award recipients are already part of a national network of care centers accredited by the CF Foundation.

The new research sites will allow the Foundation to draw on a much larger pool of patients, and in turn, give patients greater opportunities to help advance progress. The new sites are located in every part of the country, including: Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

“To help promising drugs move swiftly from the research and testing stage into the hands of patients who need them, we need more people with cystic fibrosis to take part in clinical trials,” said Robert J. Beall, Ph.D., president and CEO of the CF Foundation. “Without patient volunteers, research and progress are not possible. Patients are the key.”

In addition to its care center network, the CF Foundation also has a specialized clinical research network of 18 centers that conduct Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials in 13 states.