Multi-omics approach for identifying COPD risk factors based on a longitudinal follow-up cohort study

Background: The lifetime prevalence of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among adults aged ＞40 is 14% in Korea. However, the prevalence is 54% in the elderly participants (Age＞65), generating high socio-economic burden. National Institute of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Korea conducts various researches for identifying COPD related risk factors. Since 2016, a longitudinal follow-up study for COPD early finding and exacerbation prevention is under way. Methods: Participants were comprised of subjects from The Korea COPD Subgroup Study Team Cohort (KOCOSS) and newly recruited COPD patients. As of April 2018, there were 676 COPD patients with both clinical data and DNA. We conducted exploratory data analysis to study characteristics and selected individuals for genome analysis. Results: Following Global Initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria, there were 43, 160, 330, 91, and 17 patients for GOLD 0, I, II, III, and IV, respectively. 92% of patients, aged 41-95, were male. 90% of all patients were ever- smokers. To deal with genetic and environmental risk factors, a multi-omics approach will be conducted. All patients will be genotyped using Korea Biobank Array and methylation data will be generated based on severity and clinical data. Conclusion: In the next phase, the study will be expanded to include more patients from COPD registry and perform international collaborations with various consortia such as COPDGene. Based on these efforts, more improved models for COPD prevention and prediction are expected to be constructed.