A University of Iowa researcher has received a $2 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Paul McCray, executive vice chair in the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, will use the funds to carry out a three-year project to create new gene-editing methods to treat airway diseases such as cystic fibrosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other conditions. McCray is collaborating in the project with Feldan Therapeutics, a Canadian biotech company that developed a technique called the Feldan Shuttle to deliver CRISPR nucleases to airway epithelia. Upon the achievement of certain milestones, the project could lead to an additional grant of $2 million and a two-year extension to complete studies with patients. “A major hurdle for bringing this technology to patients is the difficulty in delivering editing materials into the organs affected by diseases,” McCray said in a release. “Our project will explore a novel delivery strategy to advance gene editing as a therapeutic approach for diseases that affect the airways.”