About BEAT CF

There is a lack of high-quality evidence from clinical trials evaluating treatments for CF lung exacerbations. This limited evidence does not help guide doctors in predicting what treatments will work and in whom. Improving management of exacerbations may improve health outcomes and quality of life by delaying the progressive decline in lung function and reducing exposure to unnecessary side effects from medications.

BEAT CF is a research project that aimed to optimise the management of lung exacerbations in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). As part of the project, a randomised, healthcare-embedded adaptive clinical trial was conducted to assess different treatment domains, including antibiotics, mucolytics, anti-inflammatories, and physiotherapy (e.g. airway clearance).

Running a trial of this scale and nature required a modern and novel approach. The BEAT CF trial was a randomised, healthcare-embedded adaptive platform trial, allowing treatment decisions to be informed by incoming participant data rather than relying on fixed treatment predictions from the outset. The trial was conducted by a collaborative team of researchers, clinicians, nurses, allied health professionals, and people with CF across Australia.

Platform

The first phase of BEAT CF involved recruiting children, teenagers, and adults with CF to contribute their medical data to the BEAT CF Platform—a digital infrastructure designed to support ongoing research. Participants, or their parents/guardians, provided consent to join this initial phase. Those enrolled in the Platform could then be invited to take part in the embedded adaptive clinical trial. Recruitment to the Platform is currently closed, but new studies and opportunities to participate are planned for 2026. Updates will be published on the website as they become available.