Modern medicine is generating more data than ever before. From genetic information and metabolic processes to proteins and molecular markers, researchers can now observe the human body at an unprecedented level of detail. The challenge is no longer collecting information—it is understanding how the pieces fit together. This is precisely the ambition of Multi-Omics Personalized Screening (MOPS), an interdisciplinary research project led by Prof. Barbara Bojko, that brings together experts from multiple fields to develop more comprehensive and less invasive approaches to medical research.
The idea behind MOPS emerged from a simple observation: researchers often look for expertise abroad that may already exist within their own institution. According to Prof. Bojko, bringing together specialists from different disciplines allows individual research efforts to achieve a much greater impact than they could in isolation.
Today’s science demands open-mindedness, flexibility, and mutual complementation of knowledge. The research we conduct individually makes a much greater impact when we join forces. — Prof. Bojko
This collaborative approach is particularly important in a field increasingly shaped by personalized medicine. Every patient is different, every disease follows its own trajectory, and understanding these differences requires looking at biological processes from multiple perspectives simultaneously.
One of the central themes of the project is minimally invasive sampling. While reducing patient discomfort is an obvious advantage, the researchers argue that the benefits go much further. Collecting smaller amounts of biological material means lower consumption of reagents, reduced storage requirements, lower biological risk and a smaller environmental footprint. At a time when the number of diagnostic tests performed worldwide continues to grow rapidly, such considerations are becoming increasingly important.
The potential impact of this approach becomes particularly visible in areas such as transplantology. Prof. Bojko describes transplantation as one of the most personalized fields in medicine. Organs must survive removal from one body, transportation and several hours of storage under difficult conditions and adaptation to an entirely new biological environment. Understanding these processes requires integrating information from multiple biological levels.
The complexity of mechanisms, the variety of organ changes and, ultimately, the recipient’s response require putting all the pieces together into one puzzle. To achieve this, we need many tools, so multiomics is not an option, but a necessity. — Prof. Bojko
The same logic applies to cancer research. Tumours are not static entities but dynamic systems that constantly evolve. Changes occur continuously within individual cancer cells, often long before they become visible through routine diagnostic methods. The challenge is not only detecting these changes but responding to them quickly enough to improve patient outcomes. By combining multiple layers of biological information while minimizing the amount of material collected, the MOPS team hopes to contribute to more effective and sustainable diagnostic strategies.
Yet translating scientific discoveries into clinical practice remains a long and uncertain journey. Many promising ideas never progress beyond preclinical research. Biological complexity, limited resources and infrastructural challenges often stand in the way. Artificial intelligence offers new opportunities to navigate this complexity, helping researchers analyse vast amounts of data and identify meaningful patterns. At the same time, Prof. Bojko urges caution.
AI offers incredible prospects and assistance, but it’s a double-edged sword. Used thoughtlessly, it creates more risks than benefits. — Prof. Bojko
For the MOPS team, the future of medicine lies not only in generating more data, but in learning how to use it wisely. As personalized medicine moves closer to everyday clinical practice, researchers face an increasingly important task: identifying what truly matters among an ever-growing ocean of information. Ultimately, the success of this transformation may depend not only on technology, but also on what Prof. Bojko calls the “human factor”—the ability to ask the right questions and translate scientific knowledge into meaningful improvements in patient care.
