Molecular Endotypes of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis A Latent Class Analysis of Two Multicenter Observational Cohorts

Manoj V. Maddali, Andrew R. Moore, Pratik Sinha, Chad A. Newton, John S. Kim, Ayodeji Adegunsoye, Shwu Fan Ma, Mary E. Strek, Ching Hsien Chen, Angela L. Linderholm, Rachel L. Zemans, Bethany B. Moore, Paul J. Wolters, Fernando J. Martinez, Angela J. Rogers, Rishi Raj, Imre Noth, Justin M. Oldham

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Rationale: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) causes irreversible fibrosis of the lung parenchyma. Although antifibrotic therapy can slow IPF progression, treatment response is variable. There exists a critical need to develop a precision medicine approach to IPF. Objectives: To identify and validate biologically driven molecular endotypes of IPF. Methods: Latent class analysis (LCA) was independently performed in prospectively recruited discovery (n = 875) and validation (n = 347) cohorts. Twenty-five plasma biomarkers associated with fibrogenesis served as class-defining variables. The association between molecular endotype and 4-year transplant-free survival was tested using multivariable Cox regression adjusted for baseline confounders. Endotype-dependent differential treatment response to future antifibrotic exposure was then assessed in a pooled cohort of patients naive to antifibrotic therapy at the time of biomarker measurement (n = 555). Measurements and Main Results: LCA independently identified two latent classes in both cohorts (P, 0.0001). WFDC2 (WAP four-disulfide core domain protein 2) was the most important determinant of class membership across cohorts. Membership in class 2 was characterized by higher biomarker concentrations and a higher risk of death or transplant (discovery, hazard ratio [HR], 2.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.64–2.48; P, 0.001; validation, HR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.34–2.82; P, 0.001). In pooled analysis, significant heterogeneity in treatment effect was observed between endotypes (P = 0.030 for interaction), with a favorable antifibrotic response in class 2 (HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.45–0.93; P = 0.018) but not in class 1 (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.77–1.84; P = 0.422). Conclusions: In this multicohort study, we identified two novel molecular endotypes of IPF with divergent clinical outcomes and responses to antifibrotic therapy. Pending further validation, these endotypes could enable a precision medicine approach for future IPF clinical trials.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)455-464
Number of pages10
JournalAmerican journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
Volume210
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 15 2024

Keywords

  • antifibrotic
  • endotype
  • idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
  • latent class analysis

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