T Lymphocyte Cells in Individuals Experiencing an Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the lungs of individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) contain resident memory T lymphocytes that can produce a combination of cytokines that induce the symptoms of an acute exacerbation of COPD (AE-COPD). Specifically, the study will determine cell-surface receptors of lung T cells in comparison with blood T cells from the same subject, and will examine anti-CD3-activated blood or lung T cells for interleukin (IL)-6 and interferon-gamma production in response to IL-18, and for IL-17A production in response to recombinant IL-23.