Luís Rocha, ERA Chair Holder of the European CBeRa project at the Católica Medical School, explains how complex systems science could pave the way for a new generation of models capable of predicting and treating diseases in a more personalised way.

"Data science brings the possibility of developing multiscale models [models that analyse a disease by integrating information from different levels, from genes and cells to organs, as well as the patient’s behaviour and social context] that can go beyond studies based solely on molecular biology using model organisms such as mice or flies. Today, we have access to multi-omics data [biological information collected at different levels of the organism, such as genes, proteins, metabolism, and microbiota, analysed together to better understand a disease], electronic health records, and even unconventional data from digital cohorts, for example, from social media. These are combined with computational and theoretical advances in the characterisation of complex multiscale and multivariate systems."

You can read the full interview here.