Researchers at Monash University in Australia have created a new X-ray imaging system that lets physicians see in real time the effectiveness of cystic fibrosis treatments. A paper discussing the system was recently published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Right now, physicians have to wait until the treatment has an effect on lung health and then measure the effectiveness with CT or breath measurement, which could take months.

With the new imaging system, the physicians can measure the effectiveness within minutes after treatment delivery. "By enabling immediate and direct observation of treatment effectiveness, this imaging method can accelerate the progression of new respiratory treatments from the laboratory to the clinic," Dr. Kaye Morgan, lead researcher, told DOTmed News.

She added that they can monitor the magnitude and the duration of the improvement in airway surface liquid depth, which allows them to quickly provide feedback on a variety of treatment and delivery techniques.

The lung disease that's associated with cystic fibrosis is progressive and oftentimes early-fatal but the new treatments can improve the patients' quality of life as well as extend their life span.

The new X-ray imaging system doesn't have an official name yet but the researchers refer to it as single-grid phase contrast imaging. It's different from conventional X-ray because it allows physicians to see soft tissue structures including the brain, airways and lungs.

The system captures the information quickly enough to create a high-speed movie of the living airway surface at high magnification. It's also sensitive enough to visualize the thin liquid layer that lines the airways.

Morgan said that it may also be able to assess how effective treatments are for other lung, heart and brain diseases in the future. The researchers will soon be able to use the system for pre-clinical testing and monitoring of potential treatments and then that can lead to clinical trials.

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