Jennifer: John Ebner loves to spend to time with his wife Margaret and their daughter Claire. John was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at age 5.
John: The way I do it is whatever time god gives me on this planet is how long I am going to be here.
Jennifer: Dr. Michael Konstan says research is blenching ahead for patients like John.
Michael: Be able to take it to the next step and allow these patients to live longer. We have to really attack the basic defect.
Jennifer: He is looking to gene therapy as a way to do that. In a recent study a nasal drip was used to deliver good DNA. The hope was that it would get take enough by the defective gene and produce a protein to correct the bad cells. It did not completely correct the cells but 8 of the 12 patients did have the defect partially corrected.
Michael: Our greatest hope it is that this will work it will be safe and if both of those things occur this could then represent a cure for this fatal disease.
Jennifer: Researches say the next step is to administer the gene therapy to the lungs using an aerosol patients with CF live to around 30. John just turned 36 and is ready for many more years.
John: I keep planning for my retirements my goal is to retire at 53 if it could be ride around the corner for everyone with CF.
Jennifer: Giving him hope not only for a long life but a healthy one. This is Jennifer Mathews reporting.
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