Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc. (CFFT), the nonprofit affiliate of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, announced today a four-year research collaboration with the biotech firm AMRI, worth up to $23.7 million, aimed at identifying novel treatments that address the core defect in cystic fibrosis.

The agreement calls for AMRI to screen its natural products-based libraries to find compounds that improve the function of the defective protein in CF, known as the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator (CFTR).

"With this collaboration, we are proving once again that we will explore every promising avenue to find new therapies for people with CF," said Robert J. Beall, Ph.D, president and CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. "We are excited about the potential of AMRI's cutting-edge natural products capabilities to complement our existing small molecule drug discovery strategy."

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