‘Prognostic -Omic Clusters’ (POCs): A novel approach to health and disease

Abstract

The concept of disease is central to modern medicine and society’s concept of health and illness. Its recognition and nomenclature are based on correlating clinical syndromes, underlying morbid pathologies and pathophysiologies. This conceptualization is being challenged by the advances in the field of “-omics” (e.g. proteomics) where arrays of compounds are assayed. Complex mathematical algorithms of their results reveal clusters that are prognostically important, yet not recognized as disease states (Prognostic -Omic Clusters, -POCs). At a given point in time, they are termed Static-POCs. However, the dynamism of the body’s physiology should be incorporated to this concept. This requires using the patterns of the rates of change of these ‘-omics’ (Dynamic-POCs), a method used in ICU settings. The latter has yielded prognostically important patterns of the rates of change of several physiological parameters. These Static and Dynamic POCs will become apparent in ‘healthy’ individuals, and their progress ought to reveal unique paths of progress towards disease states. This will enable interventions for prevention at a very early stage. The margins between health and diseases will blur, and diseases as a concept will become increasingly redundant with major implications to clinical practice and preventive health.