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ON DEMAND WEBINAR

On Demand: Accelerated Metabolic Aging in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Dr. Bowlers has 25-years’ experience as a physician-scientist with a focus on exposures such as how smoking impacts respiratory health. His expertise with integrating metabolomics with genomics and proteomics has been leveraged to explore the relationship between chronic lung diseases and aging.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a complex and heterogeneous disease influenced by smoking, environmental exposures, aging, and genetic susceptibility. Recent metabolomics research has sought to identify biomarkers and pathways that underlie COPD pathogenesis and progression, with growing evidence suggesting metabolic dysregulation as a central feature of disease biology. Across studies, COPD was consistently associated with perturbations in amino acid metabolism (notably branched-chain and aromatic amino acids), lipid classes (sphingolipids, phosphatidylcholines, and lysophospholipids), carnitines, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Metabolomic signatures in Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and sputum were more strongly associated with emphysema and exacerbation risk than plasma signatures, implicating localized oxidative and nitrative stress markers. Markers of accelerated aging and energy dysregulation were recurrent, particularly disruptions in amino acid-derived and lipid-derived energy pathways. Inflammatory lipid mediators (e.g., ceramides, sphingomyelins) were variably expressed across COPD severity, suggesting their potential role in early lung injury and disease exacerbations. Collectively, the data support a central role for systemic metabolic perturbations in aging and COPD pathophysiology. The overlap between aging and COPD metabolic signatures—particularly involving carnitines and sphingolipids—suggests shared pathophysiologic mechanisms and provides key insights for stratification and treatment.

In This Webinar You Will Learn:

  • How biological changes (particularly in energy-related molecules) seen in COPD patients mirrors those patterns seen in aging
  • How lifelong environmental influences shape aging
  • Understand the molecular processes that contribute to aging and how diseases accelerate these processes
  • Explore the clinical impacts of environmental exposures
  • The importance of metabolomics to truly understanding the biological impact of environmental exposures

Authors Publication List: https://www.lerner.ccf.org/genomic-medicine/bowler/#lab-publications

Program

Time
Presenter
Title/Abstract
2 min
Kari Wong, Ph.D.
Welcome and Introductions
20 min
Russell P. Bowler, MD, PhD
Presentation
5-10 min
Kari Wong, Ph.D.
Questions and Answers

Guest Speakers

K
L

Russell P. Bowler, MD, PhD

Russell Bowler, MD, PhD, is a practicing physician-scientist with over 25 years of experience as a pulmonologist and researcher. He is trained in mathematical and computational sciences, cell and developmental biology, internal medicine and pulmonary critical care. Dr. Bowler built his research program on learning about how biological and environmental factors influence someone's risk of developing lung diseases. Dr. Bowler is one of the highest-cited proteomics experts in the world and has published over 300 manuscripts. His research is supported by federally funded grants and industry contracts and has led to multiple patents. He is a leader of genetics, proteomics and multi-omics in the NIH TransOmic Precision Medicine Program. The Bowler Lab seeks to understand how smoke inhalation from cigarettes and e-cigarettes/vapes (tobacco and cannabis) causes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the third leading cause of death in the United States. Our lab employs a combination of computational and experimental techniques to achieve our goals.
  1. We integrate genetic, protein and metabolic data to identify biological factors that can be used as diagnostic markers and/or therapeutic targets.
  2. We work with clinical and patient cohorts to observe the impact of inhaled smoke on lung disease in humans.
  3. We use preclinical models to directly understand the impact of inhaled smoke on lung disease.
  4. We use wearable sensors and artificial intelligence/machine learning to develop algorithms for at-home detection of COPD exacerbations.
Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Bowler was director of the Precision Medicine Program at National Jewish Health in Colorado. Professional Highlights • 2023 Keynote, American Thoracic Society Innovation Summit • 2017 Elected, American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI) • 2008 Career Investigator Award, American Lung Association 2001

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