CFTR and cystic fibrosis: Although 35 years have passed since the gene for cystic fibrosis (CF), the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), was identified and more than 2200 mutations have been registered (The Clinical and Functional Translation of CFTR (CFTR2); listed at http://cftr2.org), a cure for the disease has not yet been found.