Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex disease at the clinical, cellular and molecular levels. However, its diagnosis, assessment and therapeutic management are based almost exclusively on the severity of airflow limitation. A better understanding of the multiple dimensions of COPD and its relationship to other diseases is very relevant and of high current interest.
Recent theoretical (scale-free networks), technological (high throughput technology, bio-computing) and analytical improvements (systems biology) provide tools capable of addressing the complexity of COPD. The information obtained from the integrated use of those techniques will be eventually incorporated into routine clinical practice.
This review summarizes our current knowledge in this area and offers an insight into the elements needed to progress towards an integrated, multi-level view of COPD based upon the novel scientific strategy of systems biology and its potential clinical derivative, P4 medicine (Personalized, Predictive, Preventive and Participatory).
