Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
Big Data and Immune Diversity – Transforming Medicine
915 Big Data and Immune Diversity – transforming medicine
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr David Niesel
And I’m Dr. Norbert Herzog.
What big data in medicine gave us is research that led to new drugs and treatments, more informed medical decisions, lower costs and in general, better outcomes for patients.
The newest area of medicine that’s about to be transformed by data is the immune system and is called the Human Immunome Project
It wants to understand how differently each person’s immune system responds to disease and the drugs used to treat them.
Think of it this way. At your yearly physical, you get bloodwork done to look at your cholesterol numbers. The doctor sees your risk for heart disease and develops a treatment course.
This immune system project is similar. Once it assesses your immune system, it can predict which diseases you might get, which ones will be a challenge, which vaccines might be best, and which drugs would work best. It considers your age, sex, diet, living conditions and genetics.
The project will start in two thousand twenty-seven by enrolling ten thousand people globally. The number and types of immune cells, DNA sequences, metabolite levels, and gene activity will all be collected.
The database will host about two trillion samples collected from three hundred sites to be shared by governments, companies, and philanthropic organizations world-wide.
This means the project will yield an unparalleled view and diversity of the human immune system and help us develop treatments for not just a few but a broad spectrum of human populations.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or subscribe to our podcast. Sign up for expanded print episodes at www.illuminascicom.com
