Recent studies have shown that epithelial stem cells are involved in the pathophysiology or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (9).  COPD is a chronic lung disease that includes two illnesses: chronic bronchitis and emphysema.  Thickening of the airway wall, luminal inflammatory mucus secretion, and increased volume of bronchiolar epithelial cells cause the disorder.  The mechanism in how the pathology comes about is involved in the pattern of epithelial stem and progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation(9).

Epithelial cell turnover in the lung shows that turnover is relatively slow, but once the lung becomes injured in some way proliferation was greatly increased (9).  Adult stem cells have special roles in which they are to maintain tissue homeostasis.  Recent evidence has suggested that there are circulating stem cells that may home in on the lung (8).  There is currently research being conducted to try and harness these stem cells and use them to repair the damaged tissue in the lung of COPD patients (8).

Kornberg’s work has allowed us to understand the transcription process as well as transcriptional regulation.  Transcriptional regulation is one way in which stem cells go through cell differentiation.  If this process is better understood than stem cell may be able to be harnessed for applications for treatments.