Cells and mediators of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Due to the enormous burden of disease and escalating healthcare costs, there is now renewed interest in the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [1, 2] and a search for new therapies [3]. The definition of COPD was adopted by the Global Initiative on Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease and for the first time this definition encompassed the idea that COPD is a chronic inflammatory disease [4]. Much of the recent research has focused on the nature of this inflammatory response.