Understanding the role of ionocytes in a cystic fibrosis (CF) context using human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived airway epithelial cells (AECs).

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a chronic genetic disease that affects over 10000 people in the UK. It is caused by a double mutation in a specific gene and it currently has no cure. Recently, a new cell type called pulmonary ionocyte has been discovered in the airway epithelium, highly affected in CF. Because these cells express high levels of the gene mutated in CF, it is thought that they might have an important role in this disease. I will use the latest stem cell technology to mimic the human airway epithelium in the lab. This will allow me to characterise this new type of cell and understand its function in healthy and CF contexts. This research will address a highly novel and unexplored field in both lung physiology and CF. The study will allow a better understanding of the disease, which will lead to the design of new therapeutic approaches.