The CFTR Gene That Underlies Cystic Fibrosis Was Isolated by Positional

Essay

The CFTR gene that underlies cystic fibrosis was isolated by positional cloning in 1989. Twenty years later, Jack Riordan, one of the major contributors to this historic achievement, was quoted as saying "the disease has contributed much more to science than science has contributed to the disease". What did he mean by this, and what important developments have occurred in treating cystic fibrosis since 2009?