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Published on: August 13, 2012
Quantifying your body: a how-to guide from a systems biology perspective
1University of California-San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093–0436, USA. lsmarr@ucsd.edu
Biotechnology Journal
|August 14, 2012
Summary
Individuals can track personal health biomarkers using digital tools and a systems biology approach. This empowers proactive, personalized healthcare, moving towards predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory (P4) medicine.
Area of Science:
- Digital health transformation
- Biomedical measurement
- Personalized medicine
Background:
- Healthcare is undergoing rapid digital transformation, driven by electronic health records and digital measurement devices.
- A growing trend involves individuals proactively monitoring their own health data ('quantified self').
Purpose of the Study:
- To share a decade of personal experience tracking blood and stool biomarkers.
- To interpret biomarker data in the context of host genetics and gut microbiome.
- To illustrate the emergence of predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory (P4) medicine through individual action.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing commercially available biomarker tests (blood and stool).
- Applying a systems biology integrative approach to data interpretation.
- Correlating biomarker data with personal DNA and gut microbiome genetics.
Main Results:
- Personal tracking provided insights into major bodily subsystem health and disease.
- Integration of biomarker, genetic, and microbiome data offered a holistic health view.
- Demonstrated feasibility of P4 medicine principles through self-experimentation.
Conclusions:
- Individuals can actively participate in their healthcare through self-monitoring and data integration.
- Personalized health insights can be gained by non-medical professionals using available tools.
- This approach exemplifies the shift towards a more predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory healthcare model.
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