The Journal of Precision Medicine: Health and Disease

The Journal of Precision Medicine: Health and Disease is published on behalf of the Physiological Society. The journal covers a wide range of topics at the intersection of physiology and personalized health care. Studies include novel discovery and research on individualized treatment plans based on a person’s unique physiological characteristics, genetic makeup, and lifestyle factors. Articles explore advancements in precision medicine techniques, such as personalized diagnostics, targeted therapies, and the integration of digital health technologies. The journal also delves into the ethical considerations, challenges, and future prospects of implementing precision medicine in various medical fields.

The journal prioritizes research that combines diverse data types, interpretable modeling approaches, and innovative methodologies to enhance transparency and applicability in precision medicine. Studies are not limited to retrospective analyses using clinical data in black-box machine learning models alone.

Topics place a strong emphasis on the role of precision medicine by clearly stating the expected advancement in understanding, diagnosing, and treating patients based on their unique biological characteristics. Priority areas include

Precision cellular and molecular physiology: Investigation into diverse cellular functions, signaling pathways, and molecular interactions tailored to individual variability. Emphasis on the physiological underpinnings of health and disease at the molecular level to advance personalized treatment strategies.

Precision physiology of organ systems: Examination of how organ systems—including cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, and endocrine—function in concert, with a focus on patient-specific physiological data to optimize individualized health care approaches and promote homeostasis.

Genomic and multi-omic applications in precision medicine: Insights into genetic, genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data that drive tailored medical interventions, including pharmacogenomics, polygenic risk scoring, and individualized biomarkers for targeted therapies.

Mechanisms of disease and personalized pathophysiology: Analysis of disease mechanisms that considers genetic, epigenetic, and molecular disruptions in cellular function. Focus on pathology from a precision medicine perspective, emphasizing patient-specific pathways and molecular diagnostics for customized care.

Innovations in precision medicine technologies: Coverage of emerging tools, such as single-cell RNA sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, CRISPR-based editing, multi-omic integration, high-resolution imaging, and advanced computational analytics. Highlighting how these technologies enhance diagnosis, monitoring, and precision treatment approaches.

Clinical precision medicine: Practical applications of precision medicine within clinical settings, including patient-specific diagnostic tools, case studies of personalized treatment plans, and outcome analyses in diverse medical fields.

Computational precision medicine and bioinformatics: Use of computational biology for protein structure prediction of genetic variations and design of therapeutics for individualized treatment, and machine and deep learning for identifying patterns in complex physiological datasets to solve specific precision medicine problems. Exploration of computational models that predict disease, assist in precision diagnosis, and guide therapeutic decisions based on individual data.

Ethics in precision medicine: Addressing the ethical dimensions of precision medicine, including data privacy, equitable access to genetic-based therapies, informed consent for genomic testing, and guidelines for the responsible use of personalized data.

Translational precision medicine: Focus on bringing laboratory discoveries in physiology to clinical applications, fostering collaboration between researchers and clinicians to enhance personalized health care outcomes. Topics include new translational models, funding pathways, and regulatory considerations.

Population health and precision medicine: Examination of precision medicine’s potential in public health, covering areas such as population genomics, stratified prevention strategies, and personalized early detection frameworks. Emphasis on how precision approaches may influence population health policy and improve outcomes across demographics.

Scope and Manuscript Requirements

The Journal of Precision Medicine publishes high-quality research that advances actionable insights and clinical applicability in precision medicine. To ensure alignment with our mission, all submitted manuscripts must adhere to the following criteria:

Model validation: Manuscripts that include mathematical, computational, or statistical models must demonstrate comprehensive validation using real-world or experimental data. Validation ensures that models are robust, reliable, and translatable to clinical or population-level settings. Submissions lacking such validation will not be considered for publication.

Mechanistic insights: Studies must provide mechanistic insights that bridge theoretical findings with biological, molecular, or clinical processes. Manuscripts focused solely on theoretical modeling, equilibrium analysis, or sensitivity analysis without elucidating mechanisms relevant to precision medicine are unlikely to meet journal standards.

Broad applicability: Research must demonstrate applicability beyond specific populations or contexts. Submissions should aim to generalize findings to broader clinical, translational, or public health scenarios, contributing to the advancement of precision medicine across diverse settings.

Actionable outcomes: Manuscripts should provide actionable recommendations or strategies based on the research findings. Theoretical studies or those without evidence-based intervention proposals are better suited for journals specializing in biomathematical modeling or theoretical research.

Relevance to precision medicine: The journal prioritizes research that directly informs the development of precision diagnostics, therapeutics, or interventions. Studies focusing exclusively on descriptive or theoretical analyses, without clear implications for precision medicine, will not be considered.

Examples of Inappropriate Submissions

To help authors understand the journal focus, here are examples of issues that could result in rejection:

• Theoretical models without validation against independent or empirical data

• Studies lacking mechanistic explanations or connections to clinical, molecular, or biological phenomena

• Research with conclusions limited to a narrow population or context without broader applicability

• Manuscripts that analyze intervention strategies but do not translate findings into actionable insights for precision medicine

Authors are strongly encouraged to ensure that their work meets these criteria before submission to improve the likelihood of acceptance.

This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors to determine suitability for publication in this journal. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected will be taken by our editors. This journal is published on a quarterly basis.