Targeting Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Phenotypes, Endotypes, and Biomarkers.

ABSTRACT: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is now well recognized to be a phenotypically heterogeneous disease, and this heterogeneity is underpinned by biological heterogeneity. An "endotype" is a group of patients who share the same observed characteristic(s) because of shared underlying biology, and the "endotype" concept has emerged as one way of bringing order to this phenotypic heterogeneity by focusing on its biological underpinnings. In principle, biomarkers can help identify endotypes and mark these specific groups of patients as suitable candidates for targeted biological therapies. Among the better-described endotypes of COPD are alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and eosinophilic COPD. Both of these endotypes have biomarkers and at least some evidence of preferential benefit from

SUBMITTER: Garudadri S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6321999 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature