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Abstract
The complex processes driving cancer have so far impeded the discovery of dichotomous biomarkers associated with its initiation and progression. Reductionist approaches utilizing ‘omics’ technologies have met some success in identifying molecular alterations associated with carcinogenesis. Systems biology is an emerging science that combines high-throughput investigation techniques to define the dynamic interplay between regulatory biological systems in response to internal and external cues. Vibrational spectroscopy has the potential to play an integral role within systems biology research approaches. It is capable of examining global models of carcinogenesis by scrutinizing chemical bond alterations within molecules. The application of infrared or Raman spectroscopic approaches coupled with computational analysis under the systems biology umbrella can assist the transition of biomarker research from the molecular level to the system level. The comprehensive representation of carcinogenesis as a multilevel biological process will inevitably revolutionize cancer-related healthcare by personalizing risk prediction and prevention.
Acknowledgements
The authors were supported by the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the Rosemere Cancer Foundation.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
Population screening program development for cancer is difficult due to the heterogeneity of the population screened and the variability of the carcinogenesis process.
Carcinogenesis is a complex process. Biomarkers for carcinogenesis are more useful when they identify very early functional or phenotypical changes that may be associated with committing steps in carcinogenesis.
Systems biology is a science that aims to integrate omics technologies derived data to understand complex biological mechanisms.
Computational data fusion techniques are used to integrate data derived from different omics technologies (genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, toponomics and potentially biophotonics) to test specific hypotheses.
Integration of omics datasets is important in cancer biomarker mining due to the complexity of disease initiation involving genetics, environmental influences and intercellular signaling.
Vibration spectroscopy techniques detect molecular alterations by identifying changes within their chemical bonds. The main technologies used are Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy.
Large amounts of data produced are analyzed using similar chemometric methods to omics technologies. This allows the use of existing data fusion methods to integrate vibrational technology datasets in a systems biology environment.
Validation of these techniques in isolation and in conjunction with each other is paramount for the development of robust cancer biomarkers for their use in potential population screening programs.