CFTR and cystic fibrosis: Since it is currently not possible to examine these initiating events of CF pancreatic disease in human, we chose to utilize the sheep model of CF (CFTR−/−) (Fan et al. 2018) that closely recapitulates the in utero phenotypes of human CF pancreatic disease (Van Wettere et al. 2022; Harris 2021), and has many physiological and developmental similarities (reviewed in Banstola and Reynolds (2022); Abi-Nader et al. 2012; Alcorn et al. 1981; Barry and Anthony 2008)).