Unraveling the driving force of COPD with a special focus on SEO-COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common disease where the lungs are damaged, preventing sufficient oxygen uptake. The main risk factor for COPD is inhalation of noxious air particles such as cigarette smoke.

COPD has many disease variants, including Severe Early-Onset COPD (SEO-COPD), a form of severe lung disease that manifests at a relatively young age (<55 years) compared to common COPD. Currently we do not yet understand the cause of this severe form of COPD.

The aim of this research was to better understand the disease processes of COPD and SEO-COPD. This was done via ‘multi-omics’ research, where changes in COPD were observed from multiple biological viewpoints: DNA, RNA, microRNA and proteins. Additionally COPD lung tissue was stained to microscopically visualize molecular changes. In this manner the disease manifestations in the lungs of (SEO-)COPD patients could be connected to underlying genetic and molecular changes that cause COPD.

We identified a combined profile of differential RNA, microRNA and protein expression in SEO-COPD lung tissue that was unique in comparison to ‘common’ COPD. These differences point towards a possible auto-immune response in which the own defense system harms the native lung tissue. We also identified changes in the connective tissue of the lung and disruption of the lung tissue repair mechanism in SEO-COPD. Furthermore, we found multiple genetic risk variants that may explain susceptibility to SEO-COPD.

Our findings provide a good start for better understanding of SEO-COPD and offer several opportunities for further research into possible new treatments.