Pathological materiomics

Abstract

The performance of a biological material or system—be it mechanical, optical, thermal or otherwise physiological—is associated with normal, or healthy, functioning. Variations in material or structure (such as molecular defects and genetic mutations) can propagate across scales and be expressed unpredictably, resulting in disorders, diseases, and afflictions (such as Alzheimer’s disease, Progeria syndrome, sickle cell disease, or osteogenesis imperfecta). Here we review relevant materiomic investigations of such afflictions, termed pathological materiomics, encompassing the characterization of genetic disease, viral infections, or injuries/trauma that have a pathological basis in mechanical behavior. Consideration of how material properties change—the mechanics of disease—can lead to a new paradigm that may expand beyond the focus on biochemical readings alone, and contribute to disease diagnosis and treatment. Moreover, abnormal material variation can shed insight into healthy interactions and function across the materiome—we can potentially reverse engineer from the smallest atomistic scale, tracking the progression of disease, and learn from “failure”.