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Published on: December 13, 2010
Multicellular modules as clinical diagnostic and therapeutic targets
Marc-A Baertsch1, Garry P Nolan2, John W Hickey2
1Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Hematology, Oncology and Rheumatology, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany.
Understanding health and disease requires viewing biological systems as interconnected. Multiplexed imaging helps reveal rules of multicellular structures, paving the way for new diagnostics and therapeutics.
Area of Science:
- Systems biology
- Multiscale biological interactions
- Cellular and tissue organization
Background:
- Complex health and disease determinants arise from biological agent interactions across scales.
- Cellular behavior and tissue formation are likely governed by a finite set of rules, analogous to molecular properties.
- Disease can manifest as disruptions in the rule-based processes of multicellular structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the concept of biological rules governing multicellular structures.
- To highlight the role of multiplexed imaging in bridging biological scales.
- To establish a framework for developing novel diagnostics and therapeutics based on multicellular structures.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing multiplexed imaging to integrate data across molecular, cellular, and tissue levels.
- Analyzing the relationships between biological scales to elucidate underlying organizational rules.
- Identifying key multicellular structures implicated in disease processes.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that multiplexed imaging can connect information across multiple biological scales.
- Provided a framework for understanding disease as a consequence of flawed multicellular organizational rules.
- Highlighted the potential for discovering disease-associated multicellular structures.
Conclusions:
- A systems-level approach is crucial for understanding health and disease.
- Multiplexed imaging is a key technology for uncovering the rules of multicellularity.
- Identifying multicellular structures associated with disease will drive innovation in diagnostics and therapeutics.
