Molecular Medicine Overview

Principles

Definition

Molecular medicine is an interdisciplinary field and research approach that investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying human health and disease. It applies advanced molecular, genetic, and genomic technologies to understand biological processes, aiming to improve disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention through the development of targeted and personalized therapeutic strategies.

Ontological type

Therapeutic Strategies

Disease Applications

Core Technologies

Key developments

Key Figures

DNA-Driven Molecular Medicine era

Hisao Ogawa [1] conducted molecular studies with affiliations at Kumamoto University [3] and Tohoku University [4], notably the paper Localization and mechanism of secretion of B-type natriuretic peptide in comparison with those of A-type natriuretic peptide in normal subjects and patients with heart failure [7]. The paper [7] illuminated the localization and secretion dynamics of natriuretic peptides, providing a mechanistic basis for biomarker development and informing diagnostic strategies in cardiovascular disease. Adi F. Gazdar [2] carried out cancer genetics research with Harvard University [5] and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center [6], culminating in the 1989 study Expression of Multidrug Resistance Gene in Human Cancers [8]. This work [8] highlighted how expression of drug resistance genes shapes treatment responses and underpins the move toward genotype-guided therapy in oncology.

Molecular Profiling and Therapeutics era

Todd R. Golub [1] is associated with Harvard University [3] and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [4] during the Molecular Profiling and Therapeutics era. His 1999 Molecular Classification of Cancer: Class Discovery and Class Prediction by Gene Expression Monitoring [5] helped establish gene-expression profiling as a tool for class discovery and class prediction, reshaping patient stratification and guiding targeted interventions, while the 2006 MPLW515L Is a Novel Somatic Activating Mutation in Myelofibrosis with Myeloid Metaplasia [6] illustrated how profiling can reveal actionable molecular lesions. Eric S. Lander [2] is associated with Harvard University [3] and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [4] during the Molecular Profiling and Therapeutics era. As a co-author of the 1999 Molecular Classification of Cancer: Class Discovery and Class Prediction by Gene Expression Monitoring [5], Lander helped catalyze the use of genome-wide expression profiling to stratify tumors and guide translational efforts in this era.

Precision Genomics Paradigm era

Torsten Haferlach [1] appears as a central figure in precision genomics during this era, with affiliations at Harvard University [3] and the University of California, San Francisco [4]. Haferlach [1] and colleagues leveraged Landscape of genetic lesions in 944 patients with myelodysplastic syndromes [7] to map mutational patterns, a contribution that propelled genomic profiling and standardized biomarker interpretation in clinical care during this era. Susanne Schnittger [2] appears as a collaborator across European research hubs, notably Université Paris-Sud [5] and Heidelberg University [6], in this era. Schnittger [2] contributed to the landscape study [7] that mapped the genetic lesion spectrum in 944 patients with myelodysplastic Syndromes, illustrating why harmonized variant interpretation is central to biomarker-guided diagnostics and trials in precision genomics.