Indeed, the secretome of MSCs contains a plethora of factors that have been implicated in cytoprotective and/or proliferative effects [32], including periostin, KGF, VEGF and IGF-I, which we previously observed to be expressed by LMSCs, at a similar level between COPD and control [10]. The gene discussed is POSTN; the disease is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.