CFTR and cystic fibrosis: CF is one of the most common lethal autosomal recessive disorders caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis membrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene leading to impaired function of the CFTR anion channel that plays a key role in the secretion of chloride, bicarbonate and fluid across airway epithelia (Ehre et al., 2014; Mall and Hartl, 2014; Sanders and Fink, 2016; Mall et al., 2020).