Study shows early changes in immune cells linked to COPD

Published in the journal Cell Reports, the researchers found increased levels of five different types of immune cells, called neutrophils, in the blood of people with early-stage COPD. The cells are crucial in fighting off infection but they are also associated with disease when they become aberrant.

In this study, only one of these five cell types were linked to COPD disease features. The researchers also observed changes in the characteristics and functions of these neutrophils, which were linked to the decline in patient lung function. Similar neutrophil related changes were also observed in experimental models involving mice, commencing in the bone marrow and moving to the blood and then the lungs.

Professor Phil Hansbro, Director of the Centenary UTS Centre for Inflammation, joint senior author of the paper said the study suggests that there are changes happening in the immune cells of people with early-stage COPD, even before the disease progresses to severe stages. It shows that these specific types of neutrophils can be specifically targeted in new therapies in the blood before they reach the lungs. This would allow the other four neutrophil types to remain and fight off infections.

“These findings could potentially be used to develop new treatments and diagnostic tools for early detection and personalised management of COPD to enhance patients’ quality of life,” said Professor Hansbro.

Research paper: Systemic alterations in neutrophils and their precursors in early-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Lead author: Dr Theodore Kapellos, The Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn.

[ENDS]