BACKGROUND: The PreMed symposium is dedicated to presenting the potential contribution of laboratory medicine to preventive medicine and to the prediction of diseases. At the 2008 PreMed meeting, innovative research approaches, new technologies for laboratory medicine, late-breaking news for molecular medicine and new approaches for disease screening were presented by top scientists. OBJECTIVE: To reflect on the global state of research in preventive medicine and laboratory medicine, but also constraints such as reliability and cost-effectiveness of preventive and predictive measures, which include genomics and pharmacogenomics, new technologies for personalized medicine, management of cardiovascular diseases and biomarkers of dementia and preeclampsia. METHOD: The article presents an overview of some of the hot topics discussed at the PreMed 2008 meeting and recapitulates some lectures focused on new trends and current status of prevention and prediction of the diseases. CONCLUSION: This article represents an opportunity for those who did not attend the meeting to highlight challenges related to preventive medicine.
BACKGROUND: The PreMed symposium is dedicated to presenting the potential contribution of laboratory medicine to preventive medicine and to the prediction of diseases. At the 2008 PreMed meeting, innovative research approaches, new technologies for laboratory medicine, late-breaking news for molecular medicine and new approaches for disease screening were presented by top scientists. OBJECTIVE: To reflect on the global state of research in preventive medicine and laboratory medicine, but also constraints such as reliability and cost-effectiveness of preventive and predictive measures, which include genomics and pharmacogenomics, new technologies for personalized medicine, management of cardiovascular diseases and biomarkers of dementia and preeclampsia. METHOD: The article presents an overview of some of the hot topics discussed at the PreMed 2008 meeting and recapitulates some lectures focused on new trends and current status of prevention and prediction of the diseases. CONCLUSION: This article represents an opportunity for those who did not attend the meeting to highlight challenges related to preventive medicine.