ERS International Congress 2022: highlights from the Basic and Translational Science Assembly

Area of Science:

• Respiratory Medicine
• Environmental Health
• Genomics

Background:

• Climate change significantly alters air quality through pollution (ozone, pollen, wildfires, fuel combustion) and microplastics, impacting respiratory health across all ages.
• Early life respiratory events, including hyperoxia in bronchopulmonary dysplasia and intrauterine environment effects in pre-eclampsia, are critical.
• Chronic lung diseases involve complex cell death pathways and novel therapeutic targets.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of the 2022 European Respiratory Society International Congress highlights.
• To discuss the impact of environmental factors and early life events on respiratory health.
• To explore advancements in understanding lung biology, disease mechanisms, and regenerative therapies.

Main Methods:

• Review of key findings presented at the 2022 International Congress.
• Integration of data from the Human Lung Cell Atlas (HLCA) using single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial data.
• Analysis of translational studies on asthma and regenerative medicine approaches.

Main Results:

• The Human Lung Cell Atlas (HLCA) offers a new reference for healthy lungs, enabling discovery of novel cell types and niches.
• HLCA facilitates investigation into mechanistic perturbations and the role of cell death in chronic lung diseases.
• Translational research identified new therapeutic targets and immunoregulatory mechanisms for asthma.

Conclusions:

• Environmental factors and early life exposures significantly influence respiratory health.
• The HLCA is a valuable platform for advancing lung biology and disease research.
• Regenerative therapies, tailored to disease severity, show promise for treating lung conditions.