Predictive Precision Medicine: Towards the Computational Challenge

Abstract

The emerging fields of predictive and precision medicine are changing the traditional medical approach to disease and patient. Current discoveries in medicine enable to deepen the comprehension of diseases, whereas the adoption of high-quality methods such as novel imaging techniques (e.g. MRI, PET) and computational approaches (i.e. machine learning) to analyse data allows researchers to have meaningful clinical and statistical information. Indeed, applications of radiology techniques and machine learning algorithms rose in the last years to study neurology, cardiology and oncology conditions. In this chapter, we will provide an overview on predictive precision medicine that uses artificial intelligence to analyse medical images to enhance diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of diseases. In particular, the chapter will focus on neurodegenerative disorders that are one of the main fields of application. Despite some critical issues of this new approach, adopting a patient-centred approach could bring remarkable improvement on individual, social and business level.

Virtual Reality as a Technological-Aided Solution to Support Communication in Persons With Neurodegenerative Diseases and Acquired Brain Injury During COVID-19 Pandemic

“…If some months ago the focus was mainly on the treatment of COVID-19 patients ( 94 – 99 ), now a days we are assisting in a growing interest for alternative ways to support the process of care of non-COVID conditions, including patients with neurodegenerative diseases and acquired brain injuries ( 100 – 102 ). For instance, there are many evidences about the use of telemedicine—understood as an interface in a virtual patient-clinician relationship to provide primary and secondary care ( 62 , 99 – 102 )—and virtual reality for remote delivery of cognitive rehabilitation in various settings of neurological care ( 103 – 105 ). In this frame, we propose a VR-based intervention aimed to support another critical aspect of individual's functioning that is communication, in persons with neurodegenerative diseases and acquired brain injury during COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Personalized, Predictive, Participatory, Precision, and Preventive (P5) Medicine in Rotator Cuff Tears

“…Indeed, despite providing interventions during the acute phase of an illness and “re-acting” with treatment and prevention strategies valid for the general population, P5 medicine focuses on a single patient according to a one-dimensional clinical approach [ 37 ]. The key aspect of this emerging approach regards the paradigm shift toward increasingly patient-centered medicine, moving beyond the “one size fits all” view (i.e., each treatment has similar effects on the whole population) [ 7 , 37 ].…”

“…Traditionally, the approach adopted by medicine in the management of diseases has been based on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment [ 7 ]. Nowadays, the concept of P5 medicine is becoming a prominent model in the healthcare system [ 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Precision and Personalized Medicine: How Genomic Approach Improves the Management of Cardiovascular and Neurodegenerative Disease

“…To achieve this goal, in the genomic era we have already approached an exciting period of medicine, where a convergence of genomics, bioinformatics and new molecular techniques, promises to improve our understanding of the genetic basis of many diseases, as shown in Figure 1 . With this greater understanding comes the possibility of redefining disease mechanisms at higher resolutions and, along with this, targeting with more precise therapy [ 10 ] (e.g., preventing its onset and enabling early detection, as well as tailoring therapy to patients’ characteristics [ 11 ]).…”