The aim of the seminar was to bring together international experts in COPD and severe asthma to discuss several important aspects of small airways disease including pathology and pathophysiology, measurement and diagnosis, and clinical and therapeutic implications.

The tangible objective of the seminar was to bring together clinical and scientific experts in the field of COPD and severe asthma to:

• Review current knowledge of the pathology of small airways disease in both COPD and severe asthma, and to discuss differences and similarities between the two entities.
• Evaluate the current methods being used to measure small airways function and inflammation and discuss potential new diagnostic tools.
• Discuss the clinical relevance of small airways involvement in obstructive airways disease.
• Identify new therapeutic targets for small airways disease.