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Martina Gentzsch, PhD

UNC Chapel Hill

Martina Gentzsch, PhD, is a Professor of Pediatric Pulmonology, an Adjunct Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology, and a member of the Marsico Lung Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Her research aims to uncover ion transport mechanisms in airway epithelia as targets to improve mucus hydration in diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF). A recognized expert in airway epithelial ion channels, she is particularly knowledgeable in CFTR intracellular trafficking, processing, and pharmacological modulation, with the overarching goal of restoring CFTR function in CF. Her work has advanced understanding of CFTR biology, therapeutics targeting CFTR, and translational CF models.
Dr. Gentzsch earned her Ph.D. from the University of Regensburg in Germany and conducted pivotal studies on CFTR misfolding at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, in Dr. John Riordan's team. At UNC, she developed innovative techniques to assess CFTR rescue by small-molecule compounds in primary human airway epithelial cultures. She directs the NIH-funded CF Research and Translation Core Center (CFRTCC) Molecular/Functional Measurement Core and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-supported Research and Development Program CFTR Functional Analysis Core, which together advance translational CF research through electrophysiological, biochemical, cell-, and organoid-based assays. She also leads a CFF-funded program providing CFTR antibodies and reagents globally.
Her current research focuses on advancing therapies for the 10% of individuals with CF who lack effective treatments, developing precision medicine models and biomarkers, correlating in vitro CFTR measurements with clinical outcomes, investigating environmental influences on ion channel function, and exploring CFTR roles across lung and gastrointestinal cell types. Beyond CF, she applies CF-based models to study ion transport dysfunction in related airway diseases, including asthma, COPD, and non-CF bronchiectasis.

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