title: Systems diagnostics: anticipating the next generation of diagnostic tests based on mechanistic insight into disease.
abstract: Societal demand for faster and more accurate assignment of treatments is based in both patient care needs and in health economics. From a patient care standpoint, there needs to be a transformation from the empiric method of therapeutic decision making to avoid unwanted side effects from inefficacious treatments. For health economics, the delay in effective therapy and expenditures for ineffective therapies add to the burden of care. To accomplish this transformation, we need to modify our current method of classifying disease from a phenotypic description to one that incorporates the different molecular drivers that created the observed phenotype. To do so, a deeper, systems-based understanding of these disease drivers is required, which will yield a new generation of diagnostic tests, or systems diagnostics.
authors.affiliation: Selventa, Inc., One Alewife Brook Parkway, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA. Electronic address: dfryburg@selventa.com.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fryburg
authors.affiliation: Selventa, Inc., One Alewife Brook Parkway, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA.
authors.forename: Diane H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Selventa, Inc., One Alewife Brook Parkway, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA.
authors.forename: Daphna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Laifenfeld
authors.affiliation: Selventa, Inc., One Alewife Brook Parkway, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de Graaf
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000639:trends*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D005791:Patient Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D010641:Phenotype; D013997:Time Factors