The cystic fibrosis foundation therapeutics development network: A national effort by the cystic fibrosis foundation to build a clinical trials network

Clinical trial networks that provide centralized coordination of multicenter studies have become critical to the advancement of clinical research. We describe a national effort by the U.S. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) to build a network to evaluate therapeutic interventions in cystic fibrosis (CF). The CFF Therapeutics Development Network (CFF TDN) was established in 1998 and has since promoted the safe and efficient conduct of multiple clinical trials. The orphan disease setting presents many challenges for clinical research, and the CFF TDN has met these challenges by advancing CF outcome measures development and fostering innovative approaches toward the design and analysis of clinical trials.