Development of Digital Molecular Medicine in Venezuela
A new type of predictive, preventative, personalized and participative medicine to major causes of morbidity worldwide is emerging from systems biology. The risk to cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, and type 2 diabetes can be potentially predicted and prevented by early intervention at the crossroads of the flow of biological information preceding such ailments. That is, from the endoplasmic reticulum stress response downstream to inflammation and disease. In the mean time, the Latin American region is ill prepared to appropriate and translate such advances into a better system of medical care. Two major causes are responsible for this gap, first, a lack of understanding and experience to transfer high technologies within the region and, second; the lack of integration of its physicians with local scientists experts in the field. A network integrating medical care and transdisciplinary science could help to fill the gap. To achieve this goal we are currently developing a project of Digital Molecular Medicine by grouping our own teams of scientists and physicians capable to share information and technologies with their counterparts of the most advanced countries, and translate cutting-edge knowledge from systems biology to clinical practice in these major causes of morbidity region-wide. The network consist of three connected modules or clusters; (a) CliniNet that groups physicians and scientists; (b) BioNet for genomics and proteomics; (c) CompuNet for bioinformatics, mathematics, computer physics and engineering. The network modules interact by meetings, courses, workshops and electronic means to develop the molecular tools and clinical protocols enabling physicians to determine risk and plan early intervention and therapeutics in current studies with human subjects.