Emerging applications of feature selection in osteoporosis research: from biomarker discovery to clinical decision support

Abstract

Osteoporosis (OP), a systemic skeletal disease characterized by compromised bone strength and elevated fracture susceptibility, represents a growing global health challenge that necessitates early detection and accurate risk stratification. With the exponential growth of multidimensional biomedical data in OP research, feature selection has become an indispensable machine learning paradigm that improves model generalizability. At the same time, it preserves clinical interpretability and enhances predictive accuracy. This perspective article systematically reviews the transformative role of feature selection methodologies across 3 critical domains of OP investigation: (1) multi-omics biomarker identification, (2) diagnostic pattern recognition, and (3) fracture risk prognostication. In biomarker discovery, advanced feature selection algorithms systematically refine high-dimensional multi-omics datasets (genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic) to isolate key molecular signatures correlated with BMD trajectories and microarchitectural deterioration. For clinical diagnostics, these techniques enable efficient extraction of discriminative pattern from multimodal imaging data, including DXA, QCT, and emerging dental radiographic biomarkers. In prognostic modeling, strategic variable selection optimizes prognostic accuracy by integrating demographic, biochemical, and biomechanical predictors while mitigating overfitting in heterogeneous patient cohorts. Current challenges include heterogeneity in dataset quality and dimensionality, translational gaps between algorithmic outputs and clinical decision parameters, and limited reproducibility across diverse populations. Future directions should prioritize the development of adaptive feature selection frameworks capable of dynamic multi-omics data integration, coupled with hybrid intelligence systems that synergize machine-derived biomarkers with clinician expertise. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated interdisciplinary efforts to establish standardized validation protocols and create clinician-friendly decision support interfaces, ultimately bridging the gap between computational OP research and personalized patient care.