Transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics driven biomarker discovery in COPD: an update

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), characterized by progressive irreversible airflow limitation, remains a challenge. Lack of sensitive diagnostic markers and alternative treatments have limited patients’ survival rate. Herein, we provide for clinicians and scientists a comprehensive review on the various omics platforms used to investigate COPD.

Areas covered: This review consists of articles from PubMed (2009–2016) as well as views of the contributing authors. The review highlights the need for COPD biomarker identification and also provides an update on promising candidate markers identified in various biological fluids using omics technologies.

Expert commentary: The multi-omics approach holds promise for the development of robust early stage COPD diagnostic markers, screening of high-risk population, and also improved prognosis which could lead to personalized medicine in future. Various factors regulating an omics study including sample size, control selection, disease phenotyping, usage of complementary techniques and result replication in omics-based research are outlined.

KEYWORDS:

• COPD
• omics
• proteomics
• metabolomics
• metabonomics
• lipidomics
• transcriptomics
• biomarkers

Declaration of interest

The study is supported by the SSLS project, Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.