Radiomultiomics: quantitative CT clusters of severe asthma associated with multiomics.

Zounemat Kermani N., Chung KF., Macis G., Santini G., Clemeno FAA., Versi A., Sun K., Abdel-Aziz MI., Andersson LI., Auffray C., Badi Y., Bakke P., Brightling C., Brinkman P., Caruso M., Chanez P., De Meulder B., Djukanovic R., Fabbri L., Fowler SJ., Horvath I., Howarth P., James AJ., Kolmert J., Kraft M., Li C-X., Maitland-van der Zee AH., Malerba M., Papi A., Rabe K., Sanak M., Shaw DE., Singh D., Sparreman Mikus M., van Den Berge M., Wheelock AM., Wheelock CE., Yasinska V., Guo Y-K., Wagers S., Barnes PJ., Bush A., Sterk PJ., Dahlen S-E., Adcock IM., Siddiqui S., Montuschi P., U-BIOPRED and ATLANTIS Study Groups .

BACKGROUND: Lung quantitative computed tomography (qCT) severe asthma clusters have been reported, but their replication and underlying disease mechanisms are unknown. We identified and replicated qCT clusters of severe asthma in two independent asthma cohorts and determined their association with molecular pathways, using radiomultiomics, integrating qCT, multiomics and machine learning/artificial intelligence. METHODS: We used consensus clustering on qCT measurements of airway and lung CT scans, performed in 105 severe asthmatic adults from the U-BIOPRED cohort. The same qCT measurements were used to replicate qCT clusters in a subsample of the ATLANTIS asthma cohort (n=97). We performed integrated enrichment analysis using blood, sputum, bronchial biopsies, bronchial brushings and nasal brushings transcriptomics and blood and sputum proteomics to characterise radiomultiomic-associated clusters (RACs). RESULTS: qCT clusters and clinical features in U-BIOPRED were replicated in the matched ATLANTIS cohort. In the U-BIOPRED cohort, RAC1 (n=30) was predominantly female with elevated body mass index, mild airflow limitation, decreased CT lung volume and increased lung density and upregulation of the complement pathway. RAC2 (n=34) subjects had airway wall thickness and a mild degree of airflow limitation, with upregulation of proliferative pathways including neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 2/tyrosine kinase receptor B, and downregulation of semaphorin pathways. RAC3 (n=41) showed increased lung attenuation area and air trapping, severe airflow limitation, hyperinflation, and upregulation of cytokine signalling and signalling by interleukin pathways, and matrix metallopeptidase 1, 2 and 9. CONCLUSIONS: U-BIOPRED severe asthma qCT clusters were replicated in a matched independent asthmatic cohort and associated with specific molecular pathways. Radiomultiomics might represent a novel strategy to identify new molecular pathways in asthma pathobiology.

DOI

10.1183/13993003.00207-2024

Type

Journal article

Publication Date

2024-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

Volume

64

Keywords

Humans, Female, Male, Asthma, Middle Aged, Adult, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Lung, Proteomics, rac1 GTP-Binding Protein, Sputum, Cohort Studies, Cluster Analysis, Severity of Illness Index, Machine Learning, Aged, Multiomics

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