CFTR and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: As such, restoration of impaired CFTR function may represent an important approach in COPD therapeutics, as underscored by investigations exhibiting that the CFTR potentiator ivacaftor rescues CFTR ion transport and epithelial function in smoke-exposed human airway cells [10] as well as improves CFTR activity in current and former smokers with chronic bronchitis [19].