Preface

Molecular and Translational Medicine is an evolving concept of addressing unmet clinical needs by generating laboratory testable hypotheses grounded on knowledge and technical advancement in molecular biology, eventually translated into the development of promising and practical diagnostic tools or new therapeutics for human diseases. Recognizing that there are variabilities between individuals and knowing that one disease phenotype can be driven by different molecular errors and varying mechanisms, effective therapy in one person may have fewer effects on others. Precision medicine aims to identify patient sub-populations that will benefit from one treatment and prevent harmful side effects in other populations by advanced diagnostic platforms such as next-generation sequencing and pharmacogenomics. On the other hand, identifying molecular errors or mechanisms shared by different diseases can give insights into new therapeutic approaches or repurposing of known drugs. Targeting responsible molecules and druggable genomic alterations to manipulate disease processes can yield better outcomes due to improved treatment responses, reduced side effects and cost-effectiveness for the whole healthcare system.

Accordingly, this eBook entitled “Recent Advances in Molecular and Translational Medicine: Updates in Precision Medicine” provides an accessible introduction to Omics technologies; it gives a detailed explanation of bioinformatic workflows to interpret high-throughput Omics profiles for molecular diagnosis, and collects some of the cutting-edge research for precise therapeutics. Each chapter was written by skilled scientists and clinicians who are actively working in their fields. This eBook, therefore, serves as a useful resource for postgraduate students, researchers, and clinicians who are interested in precision medicine.

The cover page aims to illustrate the connection of Omics to precise diagnosis and treatment. We want to thank Dr. Marin Satawiriya for her invaluable contribution to this cover design