Our vision of medicine at Medipredict is predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory (4P). This approach has long been advocated by medical pioneers, but unfortunately, today’s medicine is still far from this vision. According to the principles of 4P medicine, the best way to keep people healthy is to predict the individual’s risks and the subsequent prevention of the progression of these risks into their associated diseases. This can be achieved best through personalized intervention which can only occur through the active participation of the affected individual.
High-definition medicine
High-definition medicine is the new era of data-driven medicine and is based on the technological advancements in biology and engineering. These developments enable examinations, such as whole genome sequencing, whole-body MRI, wearable biosensors and many more. As these novel methods became readily available, so did the possibility to assess an individual’s current health status and disease risks with a previously unprecedented precision. These examinations also enable the determination of a strong health baseline by which deviations detected during subsequent screening can identify early-stage diseases, making timely intervention possible.
Comprehensive Examinations
Based on your gender, age, medical history and current complaints, we prepare a personalized set of medical examinations and combine them with a set of omics measurements. The medical examinations include a complete physical examination, some of the most advanced techniques in medical imaging (e.g. coronary CT and whole-body MRI), functional tests (e.g. spirometry) and a thorough laboratory testing with over 300 examined parameters.
Report and Health Coaching
Connecting the dots
Following the completion of your examinations, Medipredict analyzes your data and integrates multi-disciplinary knowledge with curated databases in order to uncover the hidden connections within your results.
Integrated medical report
Our report is a comprehensive overview of your current health status and potential disease risks. In this document, we present your results with emphasis on the important and actionable findings organized around your organ systems, as well as the detected risks in order to help you visualize the complete picture. Although the integrated medical report includes explanations, a Medipredict medical doctor and health-coach will assist you by explaining and interpreting your results and by identifying the actionable findings. All your raw data and our conclusions will be accessible in our online system as well.
Personalized health-coaching and follow-up
After the initial report consultation, Medipredict will provide you regular consultations with our health coach to help you adapt to your new lifestyle. We will follow-up on your health status and offer additional examinations which are tailored to your personal needs. If we happen to find any developing condition which fulfills the diagnostic criteria of a disease, we will direct you to the right medical professional and help you manage your condition.
Mixed - Omics Measurements
Instead of measuring one or a couple of variables, the so-called “omics measurements” aim to assess the full collection of variables in a system. These omics fields map the genome (the full complement of genes), and the metabolome (all metabolites in a biological system). Sequencing technology has also made it possible to get an overview of the complement of microorganisms - the microbiome - in a specific sample (e.g. feces or skin). The genomics, metabolomics and microbiome scientific fields are researching the mentioned biological entities. For the interpretation of the omics data, we use internal databases that are constructed through literature knowledge from our internal expertise. Furthermore, we use data integration and machine learning approaches to identify new associations with diseases and the other omics measurements.
Whole genome sequencing (WGS)
Genomics is a modern field of molecular biology which studies the entire genome or the complete DNA sequence of an organism. Your genetic code is written with 4 bases: guanine, cytosine, adenine and thymidine which are represented by the letters G, C, A, T. The sequence of these bases in the human DNA has been determined in a handful of people by the Human Genome Project and a so called “human reference genome” was assembled. Comparing a person’s DNA sequence to the human reference genome can identify DNA variations that differ from the reference and pose a possible genetic risk for developing certain diseases. Medipredict enlists Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) to analyze your entire DNA and screens for single-nucleotide variations (SNVs), small insertions, deletions (indels) and copy number variations (CNVs) that may influence your health. Additionally, we take an integrative approach and look at WGS data in the context of other datasets to determine whether outliers can be explained by your genetic composition. For example, if we observe elevated cholesterol levels in the metabolic profile, we will screen the genome for variants that may influence lipoprotein metabolism.
Plasma metabolomics
Metabolomics is the scientific discipline that aims at comprehensively mapping the chemical composition of a biological sample. As such, it determines the levels of small molecules that are direct products of metabolism. Medipredict uses state-of-the-art mass-spectrometry based measurements of over 500 biochemicals in plasma and compares these levels with those of a reference population of over 300 people. For data interpretation, we look at those metabolites that deviate from the reference population and query our internal databases whether they have been linked to any disease. For instance, elevated levels of the metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Interestingly, TMAO is the oxidation product of trimethylamine which is produced in the gut by specific bacteria.
Gut microbiome analysis
It has become clear that our body is not only composed of our own cells but that humans closely associate with highly specialized communities of microorganisms consisting of fungi, viruses, archaea and bacteria. Most of these microorganisms are friendly commensals that help us with important tasks, for example the production of vitamins, digestion of food, protection against infections and the training of our immune system. The densest community of microorganisms is that of the large intestine and is referred to as the “gut microbiome”. Microbial diversity and the composition of the gut microbiome have been associated with many diseases. Hence, loss of specific bacterial triggers in time could be responsible for many of the so called 'Western diseases,' such as allergies, chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases and some neurological disorders, like the Alzheimer’s disease and autism. The gut microbiome analysis is not an established diagnostic tool and there are still a multitude of unanswered questions. Medipredict has taken a critical look at the literature and composed a database of the gut microbiome – health associations we believe that could be relevant now.
Wide range of blood panels
We measure more than 300 laboratory parameters to map the function of every organ system, from allergies to inflammatory factors and hormone panels. Our medical and omics team put together the protocol of the laboratory tests which include stool, urine, sperm and blood sample analysis. Both the extended medical protocols and the latest research results were taken into consideration when the final content of each panel was concluded. These specific blood panels and the urinalysis cover electrolytes, total blood count and hematologic status, liver function, kidney function, blood coagulation, infections and vaccination status, gastrointestinal function, immune function and autoimmune disease screening, inflammatory factors, hormone levels, inhaled allergy panel, oral glucose tolerance test and diabetes screening, lipid levels, food allergy, leaky gut signs, coeliac disease screening, tumor markers and women’s health. The stool sample analysis can reveal inflammatory bowel disease signs, and the sperm sample analysis can detect possible infertility.
Full-scale imaging
The whole-body MRI examination is the most comprehensive, yet non-invasive medical imaging method that gives an accurate snapshot of each organs’ internal structure. For example, with the interpretation of these scans, it is possible to assess the state of the musculoskeletal system, even diseases, such as the degeneration of the intervertebral discs can be detected even before the emergence of clinical symptoms. This allows the timely intervention of such diseases, and their progression to be halted. It is also possible to detect certain tumors, to accurately measure body composition in respect to fat and muscle volume, to examine the vascular and neural structure of the brain, and many more. Medipredict uses low-dose chest CT scan to detect early-stage lesions or other structural alterations of the lung. CT is also used to comprehensively assess the state of the coronaries. In order to do so, the combination of a non-contrast scan and a contrast coronarography is used to detect both calcified and noncalcified plaques of the coronary vessels that can lead to coronary heart disease. Ultrasonography provides real-time structural and functional information of the examined soft tissues. This method enables the accurate measurement of blood flow as well, which gives valuable functional information of the state of the cardiovascular system.
Specialized wearables
Wearable fitness and medical devices enable the tracking of multiple physiological parameters of various organ systems (e.g. cardiovascular, respiratory and nervous systems). Continuous recording of the heart rate, ECG and saturation enables the early detection of arrhythmias, and the comprehensive assessment of the cardiovascular system’s adaptability towards certain levels of activity. Combining this information with respiration and movement data enables the accurate estimation of physical activity and burned calories. Tracking sleep with wearables can lead to the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome or other similar diseases. By analyzing long term sleep quality data, certain lifestyle patterns can be identified that lead to poor sleep. Hence, making such lifestyle changes could result in a better sleep hygiene. Digital medical devices, such as blood pressure or blood glucose monitors are also representing a valuable data source. The original offline or analogous versions of these devices could provide valuable information but without automatic synchronization, they frequently get lost and remain as dark data. The synchronization capability of these novel devices makes it possible to frequently register information during a long timeframe. This enables detecting trends in the changes of the recorded parameters, such as stress-related high blood pressure.
