NOVA “THE BATTLE TO BREATHE” FOLLOWS THE DECADES-LONG SCIENTIFIC QUEST THAT LED TO A BREAKTHROUGH TREATMENT FOR CYSTIC FIBROSIS
Boston, MA – September 8, 2026 – The award-winning PBS science series, NOVA, part of the GBH Documentary Unit, today announced 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. In addition, science educators across the country rely on NOVA for resources used in the classroom as well as in museums, libraries, and after-school programs. NOVA is a production of GBH; more information can be found at pbs.org/nova, or by following NOVA onFacebook, X (formerly Twitter), or Instagram.
About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 36 million adults on linear primetime television, more than 16 million users on PBS-owned streaming platforms, 53 million viewers on YouTube, and 60 million people view PBS content on social media, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS LearningMedia for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. As the number one educational media brand, PBS KIDS helps children 2-8 build critical skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality content on TV — including a PBS KIDS channel — and streaming free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app, games on the PBS KIDS Games app, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, Facebook, Instagram, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on X.
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 produces digital and broadcast programming that engages, illuminates and inspires, through drama and science, history, arts, culture and journalism. 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. GBH’s television channels include GBH 2, GBH 44, GBH Kids and national services GBH WORLD and Create. With studios and a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston’s Local NPR; CRB Classical 99.5; CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station, and NEPM in Springfield. Dedicated to making media accessible to and representative of our diverse culture, GBH is a pioneer in delivering media to audience members who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired. With PBS LearningMedia, GBH creates curriculum-based digital content for educators nationwide. GBH’s local programming includes Boston Public Radio, GBH News Rooted, Stories from the Stage, The Culture Show, The Curiosity Desk, and High School Quiz Show. GBH has been recognized with hundreds of the nation’s premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find 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. To extend the reach and impact of each film, the studio undertakes educational and public outreach efforts in partnership with purpose-focused organizations. 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 tend to be innovative and ambitious as well as highly entertaining and 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
Press Contacts:
Jordan Lawrence
DKC Public Relations