The Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is invested in developing new and improved methods for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of rare and common genetic diseases.
Our labs and researchers are using predictive modeling, multiscale biology, and big data to further advance the field of genetics and genomics.
Predictive Modeling
We use sophisticated mathematical algorithms and big data to build predictive models of disease, which we use to diagnose and treat disease. We gather a vast amount of multidimensional data on multiple biological levels (e.g. DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites, cell, tissue, organs, individuals, community, environmental) to reveal connections unrecognizable before.
Our predictive models are designed to elucidate the complexity of human disease and drug response for individual patients. We seek to discover hidden patterns reflecting causal relationships between your genes, environment, and disease. We test new theories relating to these relationships, thereby ensuring our patients receive the most timely, genetically, and environmentally compatible treatments.
Multiscale Biology
Multiscale biology looks at living systems (such as humans) holistically, taking all dimensions of data into account to advance our understanding of how we function, and in particular, how genetic changes and changes in our environment can lead to the most pressing common human diseases of our day (diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's, cancer, etc.)
Our specialty at the Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology includes integrating many different dimensions of data to paint a more accurate picture of all of the molecular states at play in a given person and how variations in these states lead to phenotypic changes related to disease or other traits of interest.
Big Data
As the name implies, big data refers to the vast amounts of data available to us thanks to advances in technology. This data is often unstructured––such as data contained in medical records––and too large for one person or one computer to process at a time. For instance, one human genome has the equivalent amount of data as a 1 terabyte hard drive, which is larger than 500 DVD films or most PCs. Through strategy and sheer computing power, we can use the power of big data to deliver scientific insights.