84

months

69

partners

15

countries

About CADSET


CADSET is a pan-European network committed to promoting clinical research in chronic airway diseases. The overarching working hypothesis of CADSET is that Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) represents a continuum of heterogeneous chronic airway diseases that share clinical, functional, imaging and/or biological mechanisms (i.e endotypes), that can be identified by appropriately validated biomarkers, which may constitute novel therapeutic targets.

Multi-level (clinical, functional, imaging and molecular) profiling of well-characterized patients with chronic airways disease, spanning the spectrum of asthma and COPD, that considers both peak lung function achieved in early adulthood and the rate of lung function decline, may lead to the identification of distinct endotypes (and appropriate biomarkers) which may, in turn, inform a mechanism-based disease classification and a more personalized treatment of patients with chronic airways diseases.


Working Hypotheses

  • A multilevel (clinical, functional, imaging and molecular) profiling of well-characterized patients with chronic airways disease (spanning the spectrum of asthma and COPD), which considers both peak lung function achieved in early adulthood and the rate of lung function decline, may lead to the identification of distinct mechanisms (endotypes) and appropriate biomarkers.
  • These biomarkers may in turn inform a mechanism-based disease classification, identify interventional targets and thus favour a more personalized treatment of patients with chronic airways diseases

CADSET Vision


CADSET 1.0


Specific actions
  • To provide a multicentre, multidisciplinary platform to investigate lung function trajectories on the clinical presentation of chronic airway diseases
  • To create a registry of currently available cohorts (and associated metadata and/or existing biobanks) in order to launch joint meta-analyses and targeted laboratory studies
  • To share expertise and resources, creating common research protocols in order to enable the comparison and integration of data across different types of cohorts
  • To promote the exchange of research ideas among participants
  • To find distinct biological mechanisms and endotypes, and associated biomarkers, that identify underlying different lung function trajectories in order to move COPD and asthma assessment and therapy towards a precision medicine framework
  • To gain eligibility for public and private funding.
Overarching aims
  • To create a consortium in which investigators with access to population cohorts, birth cohorts and cohorts of patients with asthma or COPD can work together to better understand how lung function trajectories influence the clinical presentation of chronic airway diseases, asthma and COPD in particular.
  • To help young investigators to develop their academic careers.
Major achievements
  • Administrative support from ERS, 5 funding partners.
  • Establish an European network of enthusiastic researchers and cohorts, willing to work together.
  • Cohort and study catalogues.
  • Promotion of Early Career members.
  • 1 ERS Research seminar, 2 F2F meetings, many online ones
  • 3 published Ms. (2 Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 1 ERJ Open) + 1 editorial (ERJ).

CADSET 2.0


Lessons learnt, action taken:

  • Move towards an organization based on projects/tasks within the defined CADSET areas of interest.
  • Constitute a Scientific Council (ScC) that defines the scientific lines for CADSET 2.0 1st meeting September 2025
  • After approval by the ScC, projects will be passed on the Management Committee.
  • Progressively, move towards a federated analysis system, using as basis the OMOP common data model for the harmonization.
Specific actions
  • Organization based on projects/tasks within the defined CADSET 2 areas of interest.
  • Establishment of a Scientific Council (ScC) with monthly meetings open to the participation of all academic investigators and industry partners, where research proposals will be discussed openly.
  • Move towards a federated analysis system, based on the OMOP common data model for data harmonization.
  • Organize regular scientific meetings (CADSET Forums) to discuss (and publish) specific new ideas/concepts/terms and unresolved questions (rather than specific research projects).
  • Increase the interaction between CADSET and European Lung Foundation.
  • Internationalization of CADSET: explore potential collaborations with non-European (e.g. US and Australian) groups. Ideally studies could be promoted by a CADSET member + and international co-investigator.
  • Perform both epidemiological and mechanistic research.
  • Encourage internal collaboration in CADSET to apply to EU (or NIH) funds.