Applying computation biology and “big data” to develop multiplex diagnostics for complex chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis

Abstract

The data explosion in the last decade is revolutionizing diagnostics research and the healthcare industry, offering both opportunities and challenges. These high-throughput “omics” techniques have generated more scientific data in the last few years than in the entire history of mankind. Here we present a brief summary of how “big data” have influenced early diagnosis of complex diseases. We will also review some of the most commonly used “omics” techniques and their applications in diagnostics. Finally, we will discuss the issues brought by these new techniques when translating laboratory discoveries to clinical practice.

• Chronic disease
• computational biology
• diagnostics
• osteoarthritis

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Catherine Leonard for her assistance in copyediting the document.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.