Multi-omics biomarker detection in smoking induced COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is marked by heterogeneity, and traditional spirometric biomarkers fall short of fully capturing its underlying molecular complexity. This review discusses recent developments in multi-omics profiling, such as transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and epigenomics/acetylomics, to define biologically meaningful COPD endotypes and enhance their clinical categorization. Reproducible circulating protein markers identified in proteomic studies include surfactant protein D (SP-D), club cell secretory protein (CC16), fibrinogen, and inflammatory cytokines, which predict disease severity, risk of exacerbation, and mortality. Further evidence of dysregulated histone/protein acetylation and other post-translational modifications in chronic inflammation, steroid resistance, and disease progression is provided by epigenomic studies (such as DNA methylation, non-coding RNAs, and chromatin remodeling) and acetylomic analyses. Notably, integrative multi-omics solutions exhibit better outcomes than single-biomarker solutions by allowing the identification of molecular endotypes that are more likely to accommodate clinical heterogeneity. Nevertheless, it is significantly constrained by cohort and platform heterogeneity, including factors such as smoking exposure, age, comorbidities, treatment, and sample processing methods. Overall, the existing evidence highlights the importance of multi-omics integration in the further development of precision diagnostics and individualized management of COPD, bridging the gap between molecular pathology and clinical decision-making.