Technologies
The new and innovative methods of analysis serve one purpose: better understanding complex interactions within the body. The processes involved in the emergence and progression of diseases are usually multifactorial, and not based on one cause that can be understood in isolation.
The ZPM provides access to these “cutting edge” technologies in cooperation with differnt partner sites and institutions. The Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC) offers a wide range of omics-analysis technologies.
Research Database CentraXX
One of the most important goals of PM is to make all recorded patient data usable, from simple biosignals – like blood pressure or heart rate – all the way to highly complex omics-data from tumor tissue. This means establishing a highly integrated data infrastructure is indispensable. The CentraXX research data bank, built in cooperation with the Comprehensive Cancer Center, is made to fulfill this need. CentraXX is a powerful data management system for accumulating and analyzing clinical data, although it will be gradually extended in the future to cover all clinical areas. It is able to integrate data from all current hospital IT systems, as well as data from external sources. Even today, data from the QBiC is being fed into the databank, enabling decentralized, highly complex analyses of omics-data. You can find more information about the databank on the homepage of the CCC Tübingen.
For further information see the homepage of the CCC Tübingen (german only).
CentraXX - the research data base for personalised medcine by Kairos GmbH
Omics-Technologies
Researchers can investigate the molecular bases of diseases in different ways, and with varying levels of complexity. Holistic analyses are often collectively referred to as “omics-“ technologies. These include genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, among others.
genomics
Genetic analyses of an entire genome can provide information about changes (mutations) in genetic material, which may tell researchers either about the causes of an illness or about hereditary predispositions. These genomic analyses are also called “genomics”.
proteomics
The next step is analyzing proteins. These are synthesized from DNA and reflect the operational sub-units inside our cells. Changes in proteins can happen independently from genetic mutations, and can also cause a range of diseases. All the proteins expressed in a cell or organism are called a proteome, and the analysis of proteomes is known as “proteomics”.
metabolomics
Die Finally, the ways proteins interact with one another – metabolic pathways – determine how they function in the body. These pathways are collectively referred to as the metabolome. The dynamic interactions of proteins and molecules can be disrupted on multiple levels as well, whether through protein modifications, physical / chemical influences, or other unknown factors. Analyzing metabolic functions holistically is known as “metabolomics”.
other omics
Besides these basic types of “omics-“ analyses, there are many other disciplines – many of them younger and still being developed. These include, for example, analyzing microorganisms in the intestines (“microbiomics”), the composition of fats and lipids in cellular membranes (“lipidomics”), or the effects of environmental factors on genetic material that do not constitute mutations (“epigenomics”).