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Leveraging comparative phylogenetics for evolutionary medicine: applications to comparative oncology
Walker J Compton Mellon1,2, Beckett Sterner3, J Arvid Ågren4
1Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, The Biodesign Institute, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health
|January 22, 2026
Summary
Phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs) offer powerful tools for understanding evolutionary medicine. Integrating PCMs, particularly in comparative oncology, can illuminate the evolution of disease vulnerabilities across species.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genomics
- Medicine
Background:
- Comparative phylogenetics offers computational tools for studying evolutionary processes.
- Genomic and phenotypic data have surged, yet applications in evolutionary medicine lag.
- Classical evolutionary biology questions have dominated research, overshadowing disease trait evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To advocate for integrating phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs) into 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 PCMs' application.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs).
- Analysis of cross-species genomic and phenotypic data.
- Comparative oncology framework.
Main Results:
- PCMs can significantly expand the understanding of evolutionary medicine.
- Comparative oncology exemplifies the power of PCMs in studying disease evolution.
- 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 provide novel insights into the evolutionary diversification of disease traits.
- Phylogenetic approaches are essential for understanding intrinsic disease vulnerabilities across the tree of life.
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