It has been established that CFs vary in their response to activation stimuli, including TGF-β1, matricellular proteins, and mechanical function, with fetal CFs exhibiting reduced, and often transient, activation compared to their adult CF counterparts (Souders et al., 2009; Ma et al., 2012; Avery et al., 2018; Cho et al., 2018). Here, TGFB1 is linked to cystic fibrosis.