Improving methods of polysystem functional diagnostics and prognosis

Network physiology has emerged as a powerful discipline for understanding how integrated physiological systems interact dynamically to maintain health or contribute to disease. In contemporary healthcare, the prevalence of multimorbidity—when individuals present with multiple co-occurring diseases—poses significant diagnostic and prognostic challenges. These complex conditions frequently arise from overlapping pathophysiological pathways and the formation of new or altered functional networks that underpin disease progression and compensation. Traditional system-by-system approaches risk overlooking the regulatory interconnections and compensatory mechanisms that may play crucial roles in both the escalation and stabilization of multimorbid disorders.Recent findings highlight that multimorbid conditions often lead to the development of stable, regulatory intersystem relationships. These emergent network properties can both underpin compensatory adaptations to loss of function in one system and facilitate the spread or containment of dysfunction across systems. Analytical advances, including the simultaneous assessment of rhythmic processes and the integration of multiorgan data, enable the mapping of these regulatory dynamics in real time. Still, there are substantial gaps in understanding how to best characterize these network relationships, use them for diagnosis or prognosis, and translate multifaceted physiological measurements into actionable clinical insights. Consensus is also lacking on methodological standards and predictive value of proposed network biomarkers across diverse patient populations.This Research Topic aims to advance the development and dissemination of network physiology-based methods for polysystem functional diagnostics and prognosis—especially as applied to multimorbid conditions. We seek studies that innovate or validate strategies for characterizing, monitoring, and predicting network-level regulatory mechanisms among interacting physiological systems. The main objective is to clarify how intersystem connectivity, compensatory dynamics, and cross-system rhythmicity can be harnessed to provide more precise, early, and actionable diagnostic and prognostic assessments in clinical practice.To gather further insights into the boundaries and clinical translation of multisystem diagnostics in network physiology, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:· Simultaneous analysis of rhythmic activity in multiple physiological systems· Identification and validation of intersystem network biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis· Mechanistic investigations into compensatory regulatory relationships among organ systems· Methodological advances in multi-organ, multimodal physiological data integration in normal and pathological conditions· Translational case studies applying network physiology findings to patient care· Standardization and benchmarking of network-based diagnostic protocols Topic editors: Oleksandr P Romanchuk, Illya Chaikovsky, Margus Metshein Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77699/improving-methods-of-polysystem-functional-diagnostics-and-prognosis