BioISI researcher Iris Silva (FunGP Group) has won for the second time the Best Young Investigator Award from the European Cystic Fibrosis Society (ECFS). The awarded was given during the 44th European Cystic Fibrosis Conference, that took place online from June 9th to June 12th.

Iris’ work is based on the use of patients’ samples (gut organoids, nasal and lung cells), to analyze drug response in a personalized medicine approach. In 2018, Iris won this award for the first time with her work on characterization of rarer mutations on Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients – this was her first year working on CF.

This year, the young researcher is again awarded by the ECFS for taking part of an European consortium called HIT-CF, which intends to analyze new modulators of pharmaceutical companies in patients with rare mutations and include these in clinical trials to determine their real efficacy.

CF is a genetic disease caused by mutations on the CFTR gene, in which people have a diminished life expectancy due to pulmonary complications. Recently, drugs were developed called CFTR modulators, which consist in small molecules that alter the defect on this gene.

Congratulations Iris and good luck on your research!