Improved Diagnostics Through Understanding Living Systems: Rethinking Biomarker Discovery

Improved Diagnostics through Understanding Living Systems tackles the challenge of biomarker discovery. The lack of new effective biomarkers contributes to medical errors, emphasizing the need for solutions. Rochat explores new solutions based on a reassessment of our understanding of life and diseases. He challenges traditional views from standard academic training to highlight the unique nature of each individual's biological dynamics. The text proposes a new strategy for biomarker discovery taking advantage of a state-of-the-art technology, i.e. high-resolution mass-spectrometry (HRMS), to perform comprehensive analyses of patient blood samples. This new strategy is feasible and involves not knowing which biomarker to determine prior to non-targeted HRMS analysis. Comparison of compounds found in the patient's plasma with plasma from healthy individuals could reveal outlier compounds and biomarker(s) indicative of the patient's symptoms. As part of an individualized vision of healthcare, this strategy aims to identify unexpected patient-specific biomarkers indicative of pathology. This could revolutionize diagnostic practices, reducing medical errors and the diagnostic odyssey.