International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Evolution Mechanisms and Early Precision Intervention Strategies for Mild-to-Moderate COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, imposing substantial long-term public health and economic burdens worldwide. While clinical management has largely focused on advanced disease stages, growing evidence indicates that mild-to-moderate COPD represents a critical yet underrecognized phase of disease evolution. During this early period, patients often present with subtle respiratory symptoms, accelerated lung function decline, and heterogeneous pathophysiological changes that precede overt structural airway damage. Current clinical guidelines lack standardized frameworks for early disease stratification, and the dynamic biological processes driving progression from initial airway injury to established COPD remain incompletely understood. This Article Collection centres on the early course of mild-to-moderate COPD, aiming to consolidate cutting-edge research on disease onset and progression in this high-risk population.

Mild-to-moderate COPD is accepted as the optimal therapeutic window to halt or slow disease progression, yet it remains largely underdiagnosed and undertreated in routine clinical practice. Delayed recognition of early pathological changes frequently leads to missed intervention opportunities, resulting in irreversible airway remodelling, accelerated lung function loss, and poor long-term patient outcomes. A deeper understanding of early evolutionary mechanisms is essential to identify high-risk individuals, establish reliable prognostic markers, and develop targeted, stage-appropriate interventions. This Collection addresses a critical unmet need in respiratory medicine: bridging the gap between basic mechanistic research and clinical translation for early-stage COPD. Insights generated from this work will inform updated clinical guidelines, reduce disease-related healthcare costs, and substantially improve quality of life for patients with early-stage COPD.

This Article Collection welcomes original research, narrative and systematic reviews, and clinical study protocols aligned with the scope of the International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Core subtopics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Pathophysiological mechanisms underlying early COPD progression, including chronic airway inflammation, tissue remodelling, and small airway dysfunction;
• Novel circulating, imaging, and physiological biomarkers for early risk stratification;
• Precision pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention strategies targeting mild-to-moderate disease;
• Real-world cohort studies on early COPD progression trajectories;
• Digital health or artificial intelligence tools for early disease detection.

We invite contributions from basic, translational, and clinical researchers to advance comprehensive understanding of early COPD management.

Keywords

1. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
2. Mild to Moderate COPD
3. Early Disease Progression
4. Precision Intervention
5. Pathophysiological Mechanisms

­­All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 31^st May 2027.

Please contact Zhiyuan Zhang at zhiyuan.zhang@taylorandfrancis.com with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Guest Advisors

Prof. Fan Wu, MD, PhD. Professor of Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. Prof. Wu's main research focuses on the comprehensive prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of early-stage COPD. He has published over 90 papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Prof. Erkang Yi, MD, PhD. Professor of Medicine, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. Prof. Yi’s research primarily focuses on multi-omics analyses of COPD, investigation of its underlying pathogenic mechanisms, and the identification of potential biomarkers. He has published over 20 papers in peer-reviewed journals.