Let me be the first to welcome you to a new era in the understanding,
diagnosis and treatment of human disease. Over the past
ten years, extraordinary advances in modeling and computing
technologies have opened the door to an array of possibilities
that were previously beyond the reach of biomedical researchers.
Today's powerful computational platforms are allowing us
to begin to identify, analyze, and compare the fundamental
biological components and processes that regulate human
diseases and their impact on the body.
The next step, then, is to harness the potential of these
theoretical and computational tools and
theory in a meaningful way -that is, to apply this "new
medicine" to the exploration and treatment of many
of our current diseases. This is the impetus behind the
founding of the Institute for Computational Medicine (ICM).
The ICM marks the collaboration of two remarkable institutions,
the Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine and the Whiting School of Engineering.
What has emerged from this unique
collaboration is a new research institute with a vision
that goes beyond the sum of its parts, supported by a unique range of talent and resources. For
the first time, the ICM brings together leading investigators
in engineering, mathematics computational sciences and
biomedical research on a single mission - to employ theoretical
and computational technologies to reveal the causes of
some of the major diseases afflicting the world today.
In so doing, we have created a new discipline of scientific
and medical research that we call "computational medicine." As the first and largest
research institute of its kind, the ICM will apply this advanced discipline to a range of investigations,
all of which focus on real-world health applications.
In the following pages, you will glimpse some of the
foundational work that the Institute has undertaken since
its founding in July 2005.In less than a year, the ICM
has already made enormous strides in creating significant
collaborative partnerships with the Department of Medicine
at Hopkins, focused on achieving a better understanding
of the origins and treatment of diseases such as heart
failure and cancer.
I would like to invite you personally to become part
of this bold endeavor, and to help advance the
cause of computational medicine and the exciting promise
it holds for improving countless lives.
Your investment in the Institute today could well have
a fundamental impact on how major diseases are treated
in the near future. Please join us at the start of this
great adventure,
in our exploration of the "new medicine."
Sincerely,
Raimond L.Winslow,PhD
Director, the Institute for Computational Medicine
Read "An Inspired Origin"
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