We’re facing an epidemic. Lifestyle and environmental factors are driving the epidemics of heart, lung and kidney failure in Canada and around the world, which makes our work urgent and of global significance. One in four Canadians is believed to be at risk for organ failure.

Current methods to predict, detect and monitor organ failure are invasive, costly and are inadequate for early intervention and prevention of irreversible damage. Many diagnostics methods are validated with population-based data, but do not provide information about an individual’s risk. For example, the Framingham Heart Study compares a patient’s medical data and history to that of a large population to estimate heart disease risk.

This risk level does not reflect an individual’s physiological situation and real risk of developing heart failure may be higher or lower based on lifestyle, environment or genetics. A more patient-centred approach is required.

Diagnostics need to capture the complexity of the situation. Single tests, such as blood glucose monitoring for diabetes or creatinine for kidney failure, only tell one part of the story. Humans are complex organisms, and disease processes involve changes and perturbations to a number of different interrelated pathways and processes.

The PROOF Centre biomarker solutions detect and measure multiple genes, proteins, and metabolites, from multiple body compartments such as whole blood, plasma and urine. Biomarker test results, complemented with the complete medical data and history of a patient, provide a more complete picture of an individual’s medical situation.

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