Are We Measuring the Right Biology in COPD? | Webinar

From Heterogeneity to Biology: ECM Remodeling and Precision Trials in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Join this ECM Pharmacology Symposium to explore whether current approaches truly capture the underlying biology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This session focuses on extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling as a central disease mechanism, its role in disease heterogeneity, and how ECM-derived biomarkers may support precision trials and improved prognostic assessment.

Agenda

• Welcome and introduction
• COPD heterogeneity and extracellular matrix remodeling as a core disease mechanism
• ECM biomarkers as tools for disease activity and prognosis – Assessing critical pathways of disease
• From COPD to Lung Cancer – The ECM as a pro-tumor environment

Scientific topics

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is traditionally defined and monitored using functional parameters such as airflow limitation. However, COPD is biologically heterogeneous, reflecting distinct pathological processes that are not fully captured by spirometry alone. Structural remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) is increasingly recognized as a central mechanism underlying disease progression.

Persistent inflammation, protease–antiprotease imbalance, and dysregulated tissue repair drive continuous ECM turnover in the lungs. This remodeling alters airway structure, contributes to emphysematous destruction, and shapes the microenvironment that sustains chronic disease activity. Understanding these matrix-driven processes provides a biologically grounded framework for redefining disease subtypes.

ECM-derived biomarkers offer the potential to quantify ongoing tissue remodeling in real time. By reflecting specific collagen formation and degradation pathways, these biomarkers may enable improved assessment of disease activity, stratification of patients, and evaluation of therapeutic response in precision clinical trials.

Beyond COPD progression, ECM remodeling also influences the broader pulmonary microenvironment. Altered matrix composition and stiffness can create conditions that support tumor initiation and growth, linking chronic lung disease biology to lung cancer risk. Exploring the ECM as a pro-tumor niche expands the discussion from chronic inflammation to oncogenic transformation.

This webinar examines how shifting focus from symptoms and physiology to measurable biology may redefine endpoints, improve patient selection in trials, and advance precision medicine in COPD.

Speakers

Coming soon!

This webinar is hosted co-hosted together with the International Society of Extracellular Matrix Pharmacology.