NOVA's THE BATTLE TO BREATHE Documentary to Premiere on PBS
Director Catherine Gale's film features scientists Paul Quinton, Francis Collins and Michael J. Welsh, plus journalist Bijal P. Trivedi.
NOVA has announced THE BATTLE TO BREATHE, a new documentary chronicling the decades-long effort that led to a breakthrough treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF), one of the most common fatal genetic diseases in the United States.
THE BATTLE TO BREATHE, a NOVA Production by Wingspan Productions and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios for GBH, will premiere Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 9pm ET/8c on PBS (check local listings) and stream at pbs.org/nova and the PBS App. The one-hour documentary chronicles the relentless quest that led to a recent breakthrough treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF), one of the most common fatal genetic diseases in the United States.
Once a death sentence that kept life expectancies from reaching much past childhood, cystic fibrosis now has a revolutionary and life-saving treatment. In 2019 Trikafta, a potent combination of three drugs, changed the course of the disease almost overnight. Now over 90% of people diagnosed with CF in the USA could have the opportunity for their lives to be transformed, and some who had once been gasping for breath have begun running marathons. THE BATTLE TO BREATHE follows how decades of scientific research, driven forward by desperate parents fighting for their children, led to this extraordinary breakthrough. Viewers will experience stories of joy, struggle, and unwavering hope.
THE BATTLE TO BREATHE features insights from experts including scientist Prof. Paul Quinton, who was born with CF and experimented on his own sweat ducts to solve the mystery of the disease's mechanism; Dr. Jennifer L. Taylor, a pulmonary medicine professor at National Jewish Health, the largest adult center for cystic fibrosis in America; former NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, one of the geneticists who discovered the CF gene; Dr. Michael J. Welsh, a University of Iowa professor whose research paved the way for CF drug development; Paul Negulescu, team leader at Vertex Pharmaceuticals who developed the revolutionary new CF drugs; and award-winning science journalist Bijal P. Trivedi, author of 'Breath from Salt' from which the documentary is partly derived.
CF is the first disease where drugs correct the faulty proteins produced by disease-causing genes, a crucial milestone in the journey toward personalized medicine. 'This incredible feat was achieved because of the passion, ingenuity and tenacity of the families of children born with the disease,' says the documentary's director Catherine Gale (Emmy-nominated for her previous NOVA, THE BATTLE TO BEAT MALARIA). 'I've been inspired by the contributors to this story — a diverse group of visionary scientists and doctors united in the quest not only to understand this deadly genetic disease but to end it.'
THE BATTLE TO BREATHE is a NOVA Production by Wingspan Productions and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios for GBH. Produced and Directed by Catherine Gale. Edited by Cathy Houlihan and Bruce Law. Executive Producer for Wingspan Productions is Archie Baron. Executive Producers for HHMI Tangled Bank Studios are Chad Cohen and Jared Lipworth. Executive Producers for NOVA are Julia Cort and Chris Schmidt.
Original funding for NOVA and this program is provided by Carlisle Companies, Viking Cruises, and PBS viewers. Additional funding is provided by the NOVA Science Trust with support from Margaret and Will Hearst, the Hoveida Family Foundation, and the Kaia and Jonathan Goldstein Family Fund, and by the George D. Smith Fund, Inc.
For more on the NOVA Science Trust, including a full list of supporters, visit pbs.org/wgbh/nova/funders.
About NOVA
NOVA is the most popular primetime science series on American television, demystifying the scientific and technological concepts that shape and define our lives, our planet, and our universe. The PBS series is also one of the most widely distributed science programs around the world, and is a multimedia, multiplatform brand reaching more than 55 million Americans every year on TV and online. NOVA's important and inspiring stories of human ingenuity, exploration, and the quest for knowledge are regularly recognized with the industry's most prestigious awards. NOVA is a production of GBH; more information can be found at pbs.org/nova.
About GBH
GBH is the leading multi platform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH is the creator of such signature programs as MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FRONTLINE, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and ARTHUR and MOLLY OF DENALI and a catalog of streaming series, podcasts and on-demand video. More information at gbh.org.
About HHMI Tangled Bank Studios
HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a mission-driven impact studio dedicated to using the power of visual storytelling and innovative outreach to inspire curiosity about science. Recent films include Plant Life, The Battle to Beat Malaria, The Birds, The Calling, Turtle Walker, Ending HIV in America, Blue Carbon, Every Little Thing, Wild Hope, Wilding, Blue Whales: Return of the Giants, and Oscar-nominated All That Breathes, the only film to win best documentary at both the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. Other notable films include Emmy Award-winners Hunt for the Oldest DNA, The Serengeti Rules and The Farthest – Voyager In Space; Emmy-nominated My Garden of a Thousand Bees, Battle to Beat Malaria, and Nature's Fear Factor; and Peabody Award winner Inventing Tomorrow. For more information, please visit www.tangledbankstudios.org.
About Wingspan Productions
Wingspan Productions is a multi-award winning independent production company specializing in factual content based in London, UK. Its most recent co-production with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios for NOVA was the Emmy-nominated The Battle to Beat Malaria. Founded by Archie Baron in 2008, Wingspan has made documentaries and series across the factual genres to all the major UK broadcasters, and many US and international partners. Its projects have been recognised with Rose D'Or, Prix Italia, Grierson, RTS, Broadcast, AFO, Impact Docs and Sandford St Martin Awards as well as being three times BAFTA nominated. Recent titles range from the international feature documentary Vaccine: The Inside Story (known as Race for the Vaccine in the USA) to environmental ice skating Alaskan spectacular Dancing on Thin Ice with Torvill & Dean; arts portrait Quentin Blake: The Drawing of My Life; urgent history in Ian Hislop's Fake News; the mind-expanding six volume series The Joy of… on every aspect of maths; the madcap AI-Musical Theatre experiment Computer Says Show; and the unique and historic joyous celebration of Our Gay Wedding: The Musical. For more information, please visit www.wingspanproductions.com.
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