Despite many advances made in understanding the molecular mechanisms of acute and chronic inflammatory lung diseases (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome), few targeted therapies are currently available. Associated morbidity and mortality remain unacceptably high, and safer and more effective treatment strategies for patients are urgently needed.
The advent of high-throughput “omics” technologies (genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, as well as new emerging and less traditional “omics”) has enabled the characterization and quantification of large amounts of biological molecules in a single sample, yielding massive amounts of data with relevant information (about structure, function, and dynamics of an organism), at a resolution level and within a time frame that has never before been possible. The development of omics-based approaches has had a profound impact on biomedical research and has transformed the landscape of different diseases (stroke, cancer, diabetes, immune and infectious diseases, neurological diseases, aging-related diseases, etc...), providing researchers with new opportunities to understand disease mechanisms.
In spite of large amounts of information, single omics analyses are not able to effectively capture the complex interplay of biomolecules from different layers. As compared to studies of a single omics type, multi-omics offers the opportunity to study the biological phenomenon systematically and holistically, by assessing the flow of information from one omic level to the other. In recent years, multi-omic data integration has emerged as an approach aimed to bridge the gap between genotype and phenotype by providing a more precise characterization of diseases, which, in turn, can result in more personalized medicine and the development of more effective treatments.
Multi-omics approaches have been recently adopted by researchers in the field of inflammatory lung disorders, in an effort to understand disease and to identify novel therapeutic targets and pathways for intervention. The integration of clinical and molecular data derived from multiple ‘omics’-based analyses, represent an unique opportunity for the advance of precision medicine in the management of inflammatory pulmonary diseases, enabling the development of specific treatment and prevention strategies that will improve clinical outcomes for patients.
In this issue we want to focus on highlighting new advances in the application of “omics” and systems biology approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, risk assessment, sub-phenotyping, progression and treatment of inflammatory lung diseases. We are delighted to invite you to participate by submitting your original research and review manuscripts. Relevant topics include (but are not limited to):
• High-resolution omics for discovery and characterization of biomarkers;
• Predictive modeling and data integration;
• Statistical methods for biomedical data analysis;
• Systems biology
Despite many advances made in understanding the molecular mechanisms of acute and chronic inflammatory lung diseases (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome), few targeted therapies are currently available. Associated morbidity and mortality remain unacceptably high, and safer and more effective treatment strategies for patients are urgently needed.
The advent of high-throughput “omics” technologies (genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, as well as new emerging and less traditional “omics”) has enabled the characterization and quantification of large amounts of biological molecules in a single sample, yielding massive amounts of data with relevant information (about structure, function, and dynamics of an organism), at a resolution level and within a time frame that has never before been possible. The development of omics-based approaches has had a profound impact on biomedical research and has transformed the landscape of different diseases (stroke, cancer, diabetes, immune and infectious diseases, neurological diseases, aging-related diseases, etc...), providing researchers with new opportunities to understand disease mechanisms.
In spite of large amounts of information, single omics analyses are not able to effectively capture the complex interplay of biomolecules from different layers. As compared to studies of a single omics type, multi-omics offers the opportunity to study the biological phenomenon systematically and holistically, by assessing the flow of information from one omic level to the other. In recent years, multi-omic data integration has emerged as an approach aimed to bridge the gap between genotype and phenotype by providing a more precise characterization of diseases, which, in turn, can result in more personalized medicine and the development of more effective treatments.
Multi-omics approaches have been recently adopted by researchers in the field of inflammatory lung disorders, in an effort to understand disease and to identify novel therapeutic targets and pathways for intervention. The integration of clinical and molecular data derived from multiple ‘omics’-based analyses, represent an unique opportunity for the advance of precision medicine in the management of inflammatory pulmonary diseases, enabling the development of specific treatment and prevention strategies that will improve clinical outcomes for patients.
In this issue we want to focus on highlighting new advances in the application of “omics” and systems biology approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, risk assessment, sub-phenotyping, progression and treatment of inflammatory lung diseases. We are delighted to invite you to participate by submitting your original research and review manuscripts. Relevant topics include (but are not limited to):
• High-resolution omics for discovery and characterization of biomarkers;
• Predictive modeling and data integration;
• Statistical methods for biomedical data analysis;
• Systems biology
