Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that causes long-lasting lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time.

More than 30,000 children and adults in the United States have CF (70,000 worldwide) and CF affects people of every racial and ethnic group.

In people with CF, mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene cause the CFTR protein to become dysfunctional. When the protein is not working correctly, it’s unable to help move chloride -- a component of salt -- to the cell surface. Without the chloride to attract water to the cell surface, the mucus in various organs becomes thick and sticky.

In the lungs, the mucus clogs the airways and traps germs, like bacteria, leading to infections, inflammation, respiratory failure, and other complications. For this reason, avoiding germs is a top concern for people with CF.

The CF Foundation supports people with CF by:

Accrediting more than 130 care centers. These centers are staffed by dedicated health care professionals who provide expert CF care and specialized disease management.

Supporting research to discover and develop new CF treatments and maintaining a pipeline of potential therapies that target the disease from every angle.

Today, the Foundation is focused on developing lifesaving new therapies for larger numbers of people with CF -- including those with rare and nonsense mutations -- and pursuing daring, new opportunities to one day develop a lifelong cure.

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