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Leveraging Comparative Phylogenetics for Evolutionary Medicine: Applications to Comparative Oncology
Walker J Mellon1, Beckett Sterner2, J Arvid Ågren3
1Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, The Biodesign Institute, Tempe, AZ.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|February 24, 2025
Summary
Phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs) can significantly advance evolutionary medicine by revealing the evolutionary origins and diversification of disease traits across species. Applying PCMs to comparative oncology demonstrates their power in understanding species-specific disease vulnerabilities.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Evolutionary Medicine
- Comparative Genomics
Background:
- Comparative phylogenetics offers computational tools for studying evolutionary processes and outcomes.
- Genomic and phenotypic data across species have surged, yet applications in evolutionary medicine remain limited.
- Classical evolutionary biology questions have dominated research, overshadowing the study of disease trait evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To advocate for increased integration of phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs) in evolutionary medicine.
- To demonstrate the utility of PCMs in understanding the origin and diversification of disease traits.
- To use comparative oncology as a case study for applying PCMs.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs).
- Analyzing cross-species genomic and phenotypic data.
- Applying PCMs to comparative oncology (study of cancer across species).
Main Results:
- PCMs can expand our understanding of evolutionary medicine and disease trait evolution.
- Comparative oncology serves as a powerful case study for PCMs.
- PCMs highlight the mode and tempo of evolutionary changes in species-level disease vulnerabilities.
Conclusions:
- Wider integration of PCMs is crucial for advancing evolutionary medicine.
- PCMs offer novel insights into the evolutionary basis of diseases.
- The study of cancer across species using PCMs reveals evolutionary patterns of disease vulnerability.
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