Reports of the direct measurement of IFNγ at the protein level in the lung of COPD patients are scarce, most of the time relying on the isolation of NK or T cells from bronchoalveolar lavage or lung parenchyma followed by assessment of interferon response to stimulation ex-vivo [5, 23, 24], and where IFNγ levels have been measured in sputum, they are consistent with those reported here [12]. The gene discussed is IFNG; the disease is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.