As part of the July issue, the European Respiratory Journal presents the latest in its series of podcasts. Chief Editor James Chalmers interviews Rachel Bowsher (Toxicology Department, UK Health Security Agency, Chilton, and Pharmacology Section, St George’s University of London, London, UK) about a study that uses novel methodology to demonstrate that smoking and vaping alter genes related to mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and severity.