On behalf of the CF Centre:
Peter Durie was a giant amongst Cystic Fibrosis researchers and clinicians in Toronto at The Hospital for Sick Children and around the world. He died after a long illness surrounded by his family on Monday.
Peter's research work in Cystic Fibrosis was critically important for the big discoveries; the discovery of the CF gene and discovery of the role of other genes, in addition to the the CF gene, in shaping the clinical course of this disease. His research acumen, clinical insight and rigorous experimental approach led to development of the clinical markers that enabled these genetic discoveries. The concepts that he was instrumental in developing, shaped our current understanding of the complexity of the Cystic Fibrosis disease and the need for precision medicine.
Peter recognized the need for teamwork to solve the big issues in medical research and health care and created an environment that allowed this to flourish at Sick Kids. His role as ambassador and mentor led to a wide-spread but integrated network of CF researchers that continues to discover in this field and to translate these discoveries towards patient care in the clinic.
Personally, Peter touched many of us because of his kindness and generosity. We will miss him deeply but we will continue to be inspired by him to pursue the difficult but important challenges remaining for Cystic Fibrosis Therapy.