Exploring Type 2 Inflammation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

This symposium took place during the 2023 meeting of the European Respiratory Society (ERS), with a focus on targeting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with Type 2 inflammation, and the emerging biologic landscape. The speakers discussed the clinical consequences of COPD through an understanding of pathological changes, the spectrum of inflammatory pathways, the role of Type 2 inflammation in the pathophysiology of COPD, and the evolving clinical landscape in COPD. Klaus Rabe, Full Member (Chair), LungenClinic, Grosshansdorf, Germany, utilised hypothetical clinical scenarios to contextualise the clinical presentation of COPD as a consequence of disease pathology, specifically chronic inflammation leading to structural changes of airways and parenchymal destruction resulting in airflow limitation, leading to worsening symptoms, and increasing further exacerbation risk. Stephanie Christenson, Assistant Professor of pulmonology at the University of California, San Francisco, USA, followed with a discussion of the heterogeneity of inflammatory pathways, exploration of distinct inflammatory cells and cytokines, and the evolving state of the knowledge of the diverse inflammatory pathways associated with COPD. COPD inflammation can be differentiated by distinct inflammatory cells and cytokines into Type 1/Type 3 inflammation (i.e., neutrophilic inflammation) and Type 2 inflammation. However, there is potential overlap in the various inflammatory mechanisms driving COPD via the alarmins IL-33 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin. In addition, the key cytokines IL-4, IL-13, and IL-5 mediate the pathophysiology of COPD with Type 2 inflammation. Altogether, the heterogeneous inflammatory pathways contribute to characteristic features of COPD, fibrosis (small airways), wall thickening, airway remodelling, and clinical features, such as shortness of breath at rest. Dave Singh, Professor of respiratory pharmacology at The University of Manchester, UK, then discussed active areas of investigation in the development of additional treatments for patients with COPD.