The grant will allow analyzing the human genome comprehensively to find additional genetic predispositions to developing COPD in the COPDGene Study.
The COPD Foundation president and co-founder John Walsh said the research has the potential to identify the set of genes that controls susceptibility to COPD.
"Such information would aid the development of new therapies that could improve the quality of life for individuals with COPD – and potentially save lives," Walsh added.
The medical centers across the US created COPDGene cohort of 10,171 subjects with a background of heavy smoking and who either have COPD or are at risk for developing the disease.
The second phase of the project includes follow-up visits at a five-year interval from the initial visit will be done on all available COPDGene subjects in order to determine longitudinal changes in disease development and progression.