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Lung disease: inflammatory proteins implicated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Two proteins involved in the maturation of immune cells contribute to the inflammation responsible for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and could thus provide promising drug targets for future therapies. Mirella Profita from the Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology “Alberto Monroy” in Palermo, Italy, and colleagues showed that lung secretions from people with COPD and those who smoke cigarettes have higher levels of interleukin-17A and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), two proteins associated with inflammatory immune responses, than samples from healthy non-smokers. In bronchial epithelial cell lines, the researchers showed that interleukin-17A induces the expression of TSLP, whereas an existing bronchodilatator anticholinerc drug, usually used to treat COPD, reduces TSLP levels. The authors suggest that these drugs could complement existing COPD therapies to block proinflammatory proteins.