The IRI Mission
The IRI Mission: Unlocking Our Understanding of Everyday Human Health
Complex diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and metabolic syndromes do not stem from isolated biological events, rather they emerge from dynamic, interplay between molecular, environmental, and lifestyle factors. While this interconnected reality defines disease pathogenesis, biomedical research studies largely focuses on either intrinsic (genetic, cellular) or extrinsic (environmental, behavioral) factors, rarely both. This artificial separation of intrinsic (genetic, cellular) and extrinsic (environmental, lifestyle) factors, is a useful reductionist science approach that aids in our understanding of a discrete system by controlling for noisy variables.
At IRI, where others see noise, we see the signal of interconnected systems at work. This matters because instead of asking the common question of “What molecular event causes this disease?” We ask: “How do molecules, environment, and lifestyle conspire to create disease, and how can we disrupt that system?”
The IRI Framework: Complexity Science and Systems of Systems
It Inquiry Research we understand that disease phenotypes emerge from adaptive interactions spanning molecular to societal scales. But, how do we deal with the noise of multiscale science? We do so through embracing complexity science as our foundational operating principle and incorporating Systems of Systems thinking into the core of our scientific DNA, transforming every aspect of our research from fundamental discovery to clinical translation.
Where traditional approaches simplify, we embrace complexity, systematically mapping how biological systems interact with and adapt to their environmental and social contexts to produce health or disease.
Curious about the nitty gritty of complexity science and SoS methods? Click the link below to pull back the cover and learn how we’re using these to build a new paradigm for predictive, personalized, and preventive medicine.
