Surfing-inspired saltwater mist gives relief from cystic fibrosis

Now the findings have been used by pharmaceutical company Parion Sciences and product development firm Cambridge Consultants in a new aerosol delivery system. It enables CF sufferers to get the benefits of saltwater treatment in their own homes overnight while they sleep.

‘We have seen evidence that routine exposure to salt water reduces the number of lung infections in CF patients and leads to fewer hospital admissions – but the challenge was to develop an optimal delivery system,’ said Dr Richard Boucher, co-founder and chairman of Parion. ‘We enlisted Cambridge Consultants to design the system…and the results have exceeded our expectations.’

CF is a chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of more than 70,000 adults and children worldwide. Studies have shown that the inhalation of a hypertonic saltwater solution improves the condition of sufferers by rehydrating the layer of mucus film that lines their lungs.

Cambridge Consultants conducted human-factor studies and developed a system that could deliver an aerosol mist through the nose continuously for eight hours.