CFTR and cystic fibrosis: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a heritable, autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in a gene located on the long (q) arm of chromosome 7 at position 31.2 that codes for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein, a small ion channel that is essential for sodium and chloride transport across cell membranes [1,2].