Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2026

An In Vitro Protocol for Evaluating MicroRNA Levels, Functions, and Associated Target Genes in Tumor Cells
09:45

An In Vitro Protocol for Evaluating MicroRNA Levels, Functions, and Associated Target Genes in Tumor Cells

Published on: May 21, 2019

[New targets for prevention: identification of specific disease mechanisms]

Attilio Maseri1

  • 1Heart Care Foundation, Firenze. amaseri@heartcarefound.org

Giornale Italiano Di Cardiologia (2006)
|February 9, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Focusing on outlier patients, not just averages, can reveal new cardiovascular risk factors and targets. This approach enables personalized therapies for better patient outcomes and future drug development.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Biostatistics

Context:

  • Current cardiovascular risk factor treatments are effective but do not prevent all coronary events.
  • Traditional research focuses on mean value reduction, potentially overlooking crucial patient subgroups.

Purpose:

  • To propose a novel research methodology focusing on outlier patients for identifying new cardiovascular risk factors and therapeutic targets.
  • To advocate for individually tailored therapies based on unique patient etiological factors.

Summary:

  • Investigating patients who significantly deviate from the average (outliers) can more easily reveal distinct characteristics.
  • These identified outlier characteristics, even when less pronounced, may be present in the general patient population.
  • This outlier-focused approach aims to uncover novel cardiovascular risk factors and inform future pharmacological research.

Impact:

  • Shifts research focus from population averages to individual patient variability for more effective treatments.
  • Enables the development of personalized cardiovascular therapies tailored to specific etiological factors.
  • Potentially leads to the discovery of new drug targets and improved prevention of coronary events.

Related Concept Videos

Pharmacogenomics: Identification of New Drug Targets01:29

Pharmacogenomics: Identification of New Drug Targets

Advances in genomics have profoundly influenced drug discovery by increasing both the speed and accuracy of pharmaceutical development. Pharmacogenomics, which examines how genetic variation influences drug response, facilitates the identification of novel therapeutic targets and enables patient stratification for personalized treatment. These strategies contribute to improved drug efficacy, minimized adverse effects, and more efficient clinical trial design.Mapping genetic differences...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
Targets for Drug Action: Overview01:26

Targets for Drug Action: Overview

Drugs target macromolecules to modify ongoing cellular processes. Primary drug targets include receptors, ion channels, transporters, and enzymes.
Receptors are either membrane-spanning or intracellular proteins, which upon binding a ligand, get activated and transmit the signal downstream to elicit a response. Drugs bind receptors, either mimicking the action of endogenous ligands or blocking the receptor activity to bring about a modified response. Nearly 35% of approved drugs target the G...
Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors01:27

Transducer Mechanism: Enzyme-Linked Receptors

Enzyme-linked receptors are cell-surface receptors acting as an enzyme or associating with an enzyme intracellularly. They make excellent drug targets. Drugs can bind to the extracellular ligand-binding domain or directly affect their enzymatic domain and alter their activity.
Major types that are helpful drug targets include:
Drug Discovery: Overview01:26

Drug Discovery: Overview

Drug discovery is a multifaceted process involving extensive screening, testing, and optimization of lead compounds to identify potential new drugs for therapeutic use. It combines several approaches, including screening large numbers of natural products, chemical modification of known active molecules, identification of new drug targets, and rational design based on biological mechanisms and drug-receptor structure. These approaches are carried out in both academic research laboratories and...