Research

HT strives to unravel fundamental mechanisms relevant to human physiology and disease using a multi-scale systems biology approach.

Biological systems are based on emergent properties resulting from the interactions between individual components, where each component is devoid of the properties of the system. Understanding biological systems means firstly finding how properties emerge through scales, from the atomic details of a component to a population of individuals, and, secondly, observing the evolution of such properties over time. Therefore, a multi-scale systems biology approach allows holistic investigations of biological systems and their components in space and time across different levels of complexity. Systems biology- based methods and technology development are also crucial for reshaping health care towards personalised medicine and treatment.

The HT Flagship Research Programmes relevant to human pathophysiology will leverage the cutting-edge expertise and topics of individual HT Research Centres and focus on five therapeutic areas:

• Cardiometabolic diseases, encompassing conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, and collectively representing the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide;
• Metabolic diseases playing a pivotal role in cell fate decisions by disrupting metabolism;
• Immunogenomics, cancer and infections, prototypical evolving diseases, i.e. which can develop, evolve and progress over time;
• Neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions, diseases arising from complex interactions between genetic and as-yet-unknown environmental factors;
• Ciliopathies, a heterogeneous group of disorders involving dysfunction of the cilium.