New Diagnostic Approaches in the Management of Inflammatory Lung Diseases

The study adopts a prospective cohort design involving patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), within which a nested, non-randomized interventional substudy on telemedicine monitoring of COPD patients is conducted. This approach combines the investigation of novel molecular, immunological, and genetic/epigenetic biomarkers for personalized medicine with a pragmatic evaluation of a telemonitoring intervention under real-world clinical practice conditions in COPD patients at high risk of exacerbation. The intervention includes home use of the MAIA telemonitoring platform, the FIRST oscillometry device (Restech), based on the Forced Oscillation Technique (FOT) for the assessment of respiratory mechanics, a smart inhaler (Plastiape RS01X) provided by the industrial partner Delim for monitoring adherence to inhaled therapy, and XearPro environmental sensors, supplied by XEarPro S.r.l., for the detection of atmospheric pollutants.

Participants are initially enrolled and followed according to a purely observational approach. A subgroup of the cohort, identified on the basis of predefined clinical and/or operational criteria, is subsequently invited to participate in the interventional component of the study in a non-randomized manner. The effectiveness of the intervention will be assessed using a within-subject comparison, evaluating disease progression during the 12 months preceding enrolment in the interventional substudy and the 12 months following enrolment. This within-patient control design is considered more efficient than the inclusion of a randomized control group, particularly in light of the limited number of participants that can be pragmatically recruited. The remaining cohort members will continue standard follow-up to evaluate the natural course of their disease.

Patients who provide informed consent to participate in the nested interventional substudy will receive detailed instructions on the correct use of the MAIA platform and its associated devices, as well as on the procedures and schedule for completing the study questionnaires. Participants will then be followed longitudinally, with follow-up assessments at 6 and 12 months.

Withdrawal from the study (drop-out) will occur if the patient and/or caregiver becomes unable to continue the protocol-required activities, if there is non-compliance with the protocol timeline (defined as failure to meet two consecutive monthly deadlines), or if informed consent is withdrawn.

Inclusion criteria

• Adults aged 18 years or older.
• Diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), or combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE), established according to current international diagnostic guidelines.
• Ability and willingness to provide written informed consent.
• Willingness to provide blood and saliva samples for biomarker analyses.
• Willingness and ability to undergo clinical assessments and scheduled follow-up visits.
• Willingness and ability to use study monitoring devices, including environmental monitoring devices and, where applicable, telemedicine tools.

Exclusion criteria

• Age younger than 18 years.
• Inability or unwillingness to provide written informed consent.
• Inability to comply with study procedures or scheduled follow-up.
• Presence of any medical, psychiatric, or cognitive condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, would interfere with study participation or interpretation of the study results.
• Participation in another interventional clinical trial that, in the opinion of the investigator, could interfere with the objectives of this study.