Researchers at an Oxford hospital believe they are steps away from a radical new treatment which could improve the lives of patients with a common genetic disease.

Dr Deborah Gill and Dr Steve Hyde are working on gene therapy for cystic fibrosis which could be trialled within two years.

If their work at the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Headington, proves successful, it could lead to further studies for a cure in as little as 10 years.

Cystic fibrosis is caused by one mutant gene and clogs up vital organs with a sticky mucus, making it difficult for sufferers to breathe or digest food.

One in every 2,000 children is born with the disorder, and the average age of death is 31.

Dr Gill said: "The mean age for survival is in the 30s, but a lot die in their teenage years. That's the real tragedy and in the end years of their lives they can be very sick. Even when people do have a very productive life, it's still hard work for their carers.

"There doesn't seem to be any improvement in antibiotic therapy, and it's going to need a radical new treatment to push forward towards a cure.

"All we are trying to do is put the normal gene back into the cells. We have to find ways of putting it back into as many cells as possible, as well as increasing the length of time that a patient gets benefits from it and making it as effective as possible."

The researchers, from Oxford University's Gene Research Group, at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, are funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.