Molecular medicine is one of the most recently established medical fields. For thousands of years people have been trying to find methods of treating diseases and illnesses. However, the majority of the known therapies have always been aimed at treating symptoms. On the other hand, the molecular field is focused towards understanding molecular mechanisms in order to be able to analyze the cause of various medical conditions. Furthermore its final purpose is to study the factors that influence molecular behaviors in order to be able to prevent medical problems.
The reason why the molecular side of medicine is so important is due to the fact that it can be used in various other fields. Unlike classical medicine which is only patient orientated or modern biology which studies molecular biology and genetics, the molecular field is multidisciplinary and is orientated towards a deeper understanding of life mechanisms.
An important trend in molecular medicinal studies is personalized medicine. According to certain studies realized by the Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, diseases can affect patients in different manners and so can the prescribed treatment. Harvesting and analyzing molecular structures from each individual patient can help the process of developing personalized treatment strategies. This way the life quality of each patient can be improved considerably.
Another interesting trend in molecular studies is the attempt to integrate nanotechnologies. Several technologies from this field are already being used in molecular practices. For example, molecular imaging uses nanotechnology in order to increase the sensitivity of molecular imaging so that the doctors can diagnose diseases at earlier stages. Furthermore nanoparticles can also carry small-molecule drugs for cancer treatment. This way the treatment is more efficient and less toxic.
Despite the many medical discoveries that have been made in the last decades, cancer remains a major problem for the medical community. Furthermore, the treatment that is applied in most cases is highly invasive. Molecular medicine‘s approach towards oncology shows great promises. By researching the tumor evolution, the micro environment, trauma ecology and mathematical modeling, molecular studies have made a lot of progress in understanding this illness. By collaborating with chemical biology, researchers can focus on identifying and understanding molecular targets and deregulated pathways in order to design small molecule chemical probes which can modulate them. Furthermore they are also aiming at improving clinical decision making and discover less invasive treatments.
Although conventional medicine has brought a lot of innovations it has currently entered a rut. Without an intense collaboration with molecular principles it is impossible to further advance the medical field. The problem is that there is still little emphasis on the importance of implementing molecular principles in other related fields. Most educational programs have strict delimitation that hinder the medical discovery possibilities.
