Application of population-based studies for precision medicine in chronic non-communicable diseases

Abstract

Precision medicine aims at tailored disease prevention and treatment strategies based on individualized exposure, including biological status, environment and lifestyle, etc. Common chronic non-communicable diseases involve a complex interplay of both genetic and environmental factors, while most of their etiologies remain unknown. With advances in multi-omics, population-based studies can contribute to the practice of precision medicine in control of chronic diseases by providing research evidence. Results from population-based studies can be beneficial to reveal etiology and pathogenesis from a population level, assist in more detailed phenotype classification, optimize disease risk prediction by better identifying high risk populations and improve targeted diagnosis, treatments, prevention and control strategies for different individuals, and ultimately promote public health standard.

Keywords

• precision medicine
• population-based study
• chronic non-communicable disease
• multi-omics study
• systematic epidemiology