PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Xiaofan Tu
AU  - Chantal Donovan
AU  - Richard Y. Kim
AU  - Peter A.B. Wark
AU  - Jay C. Horvat
AU  - Philip M. Hansbro
TI  - Asthma-COPD overlap: current understanding and the utility of experimental models
AID  - 10.1183/16000617.0185-2019
DP  - 2021 Mar 31
TA  - European Respiratory Review
PG  - 190185
VI  - 30
IP  - 159
4099  - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/30/159/190185.short
4100  - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/30/159/190185.full
SO  - EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW2021 Mar 31; 30
AB  - Pathological features of both asthma and COPD coexist in some patients and this is termed asthma-COPD overlap (ACO). ACO is heterogeneous and patients exhibit various combinations of asthma and COPD features, making it difficult to characterise the underlying pathogenic mechanisms. There are no controlled studies that define effective therapies for ACO, which arises from the lack of international consensus on the definition and diagnostic criteria for ACO, as well as scant in vitro and in vivo data. There remain unmet needs for experimental models of ACO that accurately recapitulate the hallmark features of ACO in patients. The development and interrogation of such models will identify underlying disease-causing mechanisms, as well as enabling the identification of novel therapeutic targets and providing a platform for assessing new ACO therapies. Here, we review the current understanding of the clinical features of ACO and highlight the approaches that are best suited for developing representative experimental models of ACO.Understanding the pathogenesis of asthma-COPD overlap is critical for improving therapeutic approaches. We present current knowledge on asthma-COPD overlap and the requirements for developing an optimal animal model of disease. https://bit.ly/3lsjyvm