Grant: DRA : Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program (CGRS D)

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a lifelong genetic condition that affects more than 100,000 people worldwide. Once considered a childhood illness, advances in treatment and care have dramatically extended life expectancy, with many individuals now living well into adulthood. This success has shifted attention to long-term complications, including reduced bone strength, known as osteoporosis. People with CF (pwCF) with osteoporosis are more likely to experience broken bones, which can cause pain, disability, and loss of independence. Although bone health is clearly a problem, many unanswered questions remain. We do not know how bone strength changes over time in pwCF, why some people are more affected than others, or how new breakthrough drugs for pwCF influence bone health. This project will address these questions by combining different types of data in one of the largest studies of CF bone health to date. First, we will systematically review all published studies on bone health in pwCF to understand how bone strength changes over time. Second, we will use genetic data to explore whether differences in DNA explain why some people with CF are more likely to have weak bones. Third, we will study the impact of new highly effective CF therapies on bone health. By integrating clinical, genetic, and treatment data, this project will provide the most complete picture so far of bone health in CF. Ultimately, the results will help doctors and patients detect bone problems earlier, guide more personalized treatments, and inform prevention strategies such as nutrition, exercise, and bone-protective medications. We plan to disseminate our findings through publications and presentations at scientific conferences.