Title:A Systems Medicine Clinical Platform for Understanding and Managing Non- Communicable Diseases
Volume: 20
Issue: 38
Author(s): Paolo Maria Rossini, Achille Lococo, Dieter Maier, Frederick Marcus, Stefano Margaritora, Camillo Marra, Gianfranco Minati, Monica Neri, Franco Pasqua, Christophe Pison, Christian Pristipino, Joseph Roca, Giuseppe Rosano, Filippo Lococo, Patrizia Russo, Gianluca Salinaro, Shani Shenhar, Hermona Soreq, Peter J. Sterk, Fabrizio Stocchi, Margherita Torti, Maurizio Volterrani, Emiel F.M. Wouters, Alessandra Frustaci, Stefano Bonassi, Nikolai Daraselia, Charles Auffray, Alvar Agusti, Giovanni Apolone, Rudi Balling, Piero Barbanti, Alfonso Bellia, Stefania Boccia, Jean Bousquet, Vittorio Cardaci, Mario Cazzola, Valentina Dall'Armi, Alfredo Cesario, Lucio Da Ros, Alessandra Del Bufalo, Giuseppe Ducci, Luigi Ferri, Massimo Fini, Chiara Fossati, Gianfranco Gensini, Pierluigi Maria Granone, James Kinross, Davide Lauro and Gerland Lo Cascio
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Systems medicine, non-communicable diseases, P4 medicine, systems biology.
Abstract: Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are among the most pressing global health problems of the twenty-first century. Their rising
incidence and prevalence is linked to severe morbidity and mortality, and they are putting economic and managerial pressure on healthcare
systems around the world. Moreover, NCDs are impeding healthy aging by negatively affecting the quality of life of a growing number of the
global population. NCDs result from the interaction of various genetic, environmental and habitual factors, and cluster in complex ways, making
the complex identification of resulting phenotypes not only difficult, but also a top research priority. The degree of complexity required to
interpret large patient datasets generated by advanced high-throughput functional genomics assays has now increased to the point that novel
computational biology approaches are essential to extract information that is relevant to the clinical decision-making process. Consequently,
system-level models that interpret the interactions between extensive tissues, cellular and molecular measurements and clinical features are
also being created to identify new disease phenotypes, so that disease definition and treatment are optimized, and novel therapeutic targets
discovered. Likewise, Systems Medicine (SM) platforms applied to extensively-characterized patients provide a basis for more targeted clinical
trials, and represent a promising tool to achieve better prevention and patient care, thereby promoting healthy aging globally. The present
paper: (1) reviews the novel systems approaches to NCDs; (2) discusses how to move efficiently from Systems Biology to Systems Medicine;
and (3) presents the scientific and clinical background of the San Raffaele Systems Medicine Platform.
