In summary, our study provides the most comprehensive evidence yet regarding genetic variants associated with lung function and their association with susceptibility to COPD, with a more than threefold difference in COPD risk between highest and lowest allelic risk score deciles. Whilst translation of GWAS findings can take some years and requires extensive additional work, selecting genetically supported targets could double the drug development success rate17. The future clinical relevance of our findings include contributions towards understanding of disease pathogenesis, identification of drug targets for targeting or repositioning of drugs18, and potentially improved prediction of COPD or its subtypes.
