Advancing omics technologies in acute respiratory distress syndrome: paving the way for personalized medicine

Abstract

Despite advances in critical care, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains a potentially life-threatening condition with high mortality. The heterogeneous nature of ARDS, caused by diverse etiologies, poses considerable challenges to accurate diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Conventional methods often fail to elucidate the pathophysiology of ARDS, thus limiting therapeutic efficacy. However, recent advances in omics technologies, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, and epigenomics, have provided deeper insights into ARDS mechanisms. Genomic studies have identified genetic variants associated with ARDS susceptibility, such as polymorphisms in genes encoding angiotensin-converting enzyme, surfactant proteins, toll-like receptor 4, interleukin-6, Fas/FasL, and vascular endothelial growth factor, offering potential therapeutic targets. Transcriptomic and proteomic reveal distinct biomarker profiles associated with ARDS pathogenesis, including dysregulated inflammatory signaling, epithelial and endothelial barrier dysfunction, and compromised immune responses. Metabolomics has highlighted biomarkers, such as phenylalanine and choline, aiding in severity assessment, subphenotype stratification, and treatment response prediction. Lipidomics has uncovered disruptions in lipid metabolism, including altered phospholipids, sphingolipids, and eicosanoids, with key lipid species such as lysophosphatidylcholine and ceramide emerging as biomarkers for severity and outcomes. Epigenomics explores DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs, revealing their role in regulating inflammation, immune responses, and tissue repair in ARDS. These epigenetic changes hold promise for biomarker discovery and personalized therapy. Integrating these omics technologies advances our understanding of ARDS pathophysiology, enabling precision medicine approaches. This review examines the latest advancements in omics research related to ARDS, emphasizing its role in developing personalized diagnostics and therapeutic strategies to improve disease monitoring, prognosis, and treatment outcomes.