Cigarette smoke exposure induces substantial changes in the airway epithelium of a Drosophila COPD model

Cigarette smoke with over 4000 different components is the primary risk factor of a disease called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is predicted by the WHO to become the third leading cause of death in 2030 and already today over 64 million people suffer from it. The term COPD comprises all diseases resulting in an airflow limitation due to the destruction of lung tissue (emphysema), fibrotic changes in the lung tissue (fibrosis) and mucus hypersecretion. As there is no cure yet, the need to understand this disease in its full complexity is great, to counteract the postulated effects. In order…