Protective genetic variants that reduce the function or expression of a target protein could be mimicked by drugs and so are of particular interest. The minor allele (MAF 17%) at the novel signal in an intron of FAM13A was associated with decreased expression of FAM13A in lung tissue and reduced risk of COPD. This, together with recent evidence from a study of the Fam13a knockout mouse34, suggests that pharmacological inhibition of FAM13A may be protective.
