TY - JOUR T1 - Integration of multi-omics datasets enables molecular classification of COPD JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J DO - 10.1183/13993003.01930-2017 SP - 1701930 AU - Chuan-Xing Li AU - Craig E. Wheelock AU - C. Magnus Sköld AU - Åsa M. Wheelock Y1 - 2018/01/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/early/2018/03/09/13993003.01930-2017.abstract N2 - Rationale: COPD represents an umbrella diagnosis caused by a multitude of underlying mechanisms, and molecular sub-phenotyping is needed to facilitate the development of molecular diagnostic/prognostic tools and efficacious treatments.Objectives: To investigate whether multi-omics integration improves the accuracy of molecular classification of COPD in small cohorts.Measurements and Results: Nine omics data-blocks (mRNA, miRNA, proteomes, metabolomes) collected from several anatomical locations from 52 female subjects were integrated by similarity network fusion (SNF). Multi-omics integration significantly improved the accuracy of group classification of COPD patients from healthy never-smokers, and smokers with normal spirometry, reducing required group sizes from n=30 to n=6 at 95% power. Seven different combinations of 4–7 omics platforms achieved >95% accuracy.Conclusions: For the first time, a quantitative relationship between multi-omics data integration and accuracy of data-driven classification power was demonstrated across 9 omics data-blocks. Integration of 5–7 omics data-blocks enabled 100% correct classification of COPD diagnosis with groups as small as n=6 individuals, despite strong confounding effects of current smoking. These results can serve as guidelines for the design of future systems-based multi-omics investigations, with indications that integration of 5–6 data-blocks from several molecular levels and anatomical locations suffices to facilitate unsupervised molecular classification in small cohorts.Multi-omics integration drastically improves unsupervised molecular prediction of COPD; 100% accuracy, subgroups n=6FootnotesThis manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the European Respiratory Journal. It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJ online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article.Conflict of interest: Dr. Li has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. CM Skold has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. ÅM Wheelock has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. CE Wheelock has nothing to disclose. ER -