CFTR and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Fortunately, owing to the overlap between COPD and CF in several key manifestations, including mucus hypersecretion, reduced mucociliary clearance, small airways' mucus obstruction, chronic bacterial infections and airway inflammation, and goblet cell metaplasia [65], together with the pathophysiological link of impaired CFTR function between these two chronic pulmonary diseases, therapeutic strategies for CF disease and pharmaceutical agents that target CFTR may therefore offer therapeutic effects in COPD patients.