Editorial: OMICS-Based Approaches in Sports Research.

Abstract

Genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics are increasingly generating key insights for the development of precision approaches in heath and disease. Omics technologies have unlocked the high-throughput discovery of diagnostic biomarker and the systems-level evaluation of the efficacy and toxicity of novel therapies.

In the subfield of sport medicine and sport science, the application of -omics methods is relatively recent; yet, the number of peer-reviewed original research articles has seen a steady rise over the last years.

Athletic performance can be affected by a combination of endogenous and exogenous factors, including genomic and metabolomic profiles, as well as diet, medicament/drug intake, training regimen, and exercise. In this respect, the application of omics approaches encompassed, for instance, the multi-parametric assessment of training efficacy, injury predisposition, and the identification of robust biomarkers for the indirect detection of potentially “invisible” forms of doping. In addition, multi-omics integration approaches in sport medicine and doping sciences hold a clear promise for better understanding of the molecular/system levels of athlete’s pathophysiology.

What we believe should be indispensable to maximize the potential benefit that such approaches promise, is the promotion of cross-disciplinary and collaborative science, beyond the individual laboratories and research institutions.