Metabolomics, the systematic profiling of the small molecules in a biological system, represents a powerful tool to increase the understanding of the mechanisms of respiratory health. Several studies have used metabolomics to explore diseases including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), suggesting there are alterations in the metabolome that reflect changes in the respiratory system. However, few studies have validated their findings in independent populations and few studies have investigated the metabolome of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) or the ratio of FEV1 to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC), two key indicators of pulmonary function in both children and adults. Furthermore, large scale studies of allergic phenotypes that are relevant to respiratory disorders such as asthma are lacking. Consequently, metabolomic profiling of lung function and related allergic phenotypes warrants further investigation.
In this work we will evaluate relationships between metabolite concentrations with lung and allergic phenotypes, including asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and lung function measurements (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, etc.) in ALSPAC. Our findings will be combined with those from other cohorts by analysts of the COMETS Lung Working Group within the Consortium of Metabolomics Studies.