Harnessing Big Data to Advance Treatment and Understanding of Pulmonary Hypertension

Circ Res. 2022 Apr 29;130(9):1423-1444. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.121.319969. Epub 2022 Apr 28.

Abstract

Pulmonary hypertension is a complex disease with multiple causes, corresponding to phenotypic heterogeneity and variable therapeutic responses. Advancing understanding of pulmonary hypertension pathogenesis is likely to hinge on integrated methods that leverage data from health records, imaging, novel molecular -omics profiling, and other modalities. In this review, we summarize key data sets generated thus far in the field and describe analytical methods that hold promise for deciphering the molecular mechanisms that underpin pulmonary vascular remodeling, including machine learning, network medicine, and functional genetics. We also detail how genetic and subphenotyping approaches enable earlier diagnosis, refined prognostication, and optimized treatment prediction. We propose strategies that identify functionally important molecular pathways, bolstered by findings across multi-omics platforms, which are well-positioned to individualize drug therapy selection and advance precision medicine in this highly morbid disease.

Keywords: big data; information dissemination; phenotype; precision medicine; pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Big Data*
  • Humans
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary* / diagnosis
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary* / drug therapy
  • Hypertension, Pulmonary* / genetics
  • Machine Learning
  • Precision Medicine / methods