Biobank - a bank of biological specimens for biomedical research.
Biomarker – a characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes, or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention.
Gene Expressions – the process by which the information encoded in a gene is used to direct the assembly of a protein molecule. The cell reads the sequence of the gene in groups of three bases.
Genome – the full sequence of genetic material encoded in DNA in an organism.
Genotype - The genetic sequence of an individual organism, often categorized in terms of known genetic variants. This can either refer to known alleles (or types) of a single gene or to collections of genes. For example, some lung cancers have a mutant eGFI receptor genotype while other lung cancers have a wild-type (or normal) eGFI receptor genotype.
Microbiome – a term used to describe the collective genome of our indigenous microbes (microflora). Identification of the types of microbes present in a biological specimen or that are associated with another organism, such as a human.
Phenotype – the idiosyncratic traits exhibited by an organism, often categorized in terms of known trait variants. This can either refer to a specific trait or to a collection of traits. For example, blue eyes and brown eyes are phenotypes exhibited in subsets of humans.
Predictive Medicine – The branch of medical science or practise concerned with the prediction of the occurrence or course of disease in individual patients, now especially using genetic information.
