The future of precision oncology Is through multi-omics

Multi-omics is pushing oncology into a new era of clarity. Researchers are moving beyond single markers and now map cancer through DNA, RNA, proteins, and epigenetic signals simultaneously. They can now see the shape of a tumor with greater precision, making treatment decisions faster and with greater confidence.

These insights matter because the WHO's Global Health Estimates show that cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, responsible for nearly one in six deaths. Outcomes still vary widely across patients with similar diagnoses. Tumor biology drives these differences, and the latest scientific findings show that integrated molecular views reveal the forces behind these patterns.

Cancer treatment long depended on snapshots of information. A biopsy offered a look at a mutation or a protein. A scan showed the size of a tumor. These pieces helped, but they missed important layers of behavior. Tumors evolve. They shift their gene expression to resist drugs. They rewire protein networks to grow faster. They silence or activate regions of the genome to escape immunity. Multi-omics captures these events in one unified framework, especially in research and early clinical-trial settings, giving clinicians a more complete picture of why a tumor acts the way it does.

Genomics anchors this picture. It reveals the mutations that start cancer, while transcriptomics shows how tumors react under treatment. Proteomics and epigenomics uncover the deeper changes that drive progression and survival. Together, these layers form a clearer, more complete understanding of tumor behavior.

A 2024 study from the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium published in Cell analyzed proteogenomic data across more than 1,000 tumors from ten cancer types, revealing how combining DNA and protein analysis identifies more actionable therapeutic targets than genomics alone. The research demonstrated that protein-level signals expose druggable pathways invisible in genomic-only studies.

Another recent paper in Genome Biology introduced TMO-Net, an explainable multi-omics AI model trained on about 8,174 pan-cancer samples across 32 tumor types. By integrating genomics, transcriptomics, methylation, and copy number variation, TMO-Net predicted clinical outcomes such as subtype, metastasis risk, and drug response — showing how deep learning can turn molecular layers into patient-specific treatment insight.  These capabilities remain research-stage but represent a meaningful step toward integrated clinical decision support.

Experts agree that this integrated approach marks a turning point. "Multi-omics data are offering the opportunity to redefine the precision oncology paradigm," says Francesca Finotello, a bioinformatician at the Biocenter, Innsbruck Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria. "We are moving from a simplistic, genomic-focused implementation towards one based on a more holistic and comprehensive vision of the tumour microenvironment."

Clinicians are increasingly seeking deeper molecular insight, especially in leading cancer centers and clinical-trial programs. They want tools that reveal mutations, expression patterns, and biomarkers in one streamlined workflow. Solutions like the SENTIS™ Cancer+ Discovery Panel support this need on the genomic layer, offering whole-exon–scale profiling of hundreds of cancer-related genes in tissue or liquid biopsy. While not a multi-omics assay, it forms a robust genomic foundation for exploring biomarkers linked to therapy response, resistance, and disease progression.

The future of oncology lies in integrated profiles that connect genetic changes to clinical decisions. Multi-omics turns this insight into action, first through research and clinical-trial discovery, and increasingly as platforms mature for clinical use. By layering DNA with signals that explain behavior and response, it helps clinicians deliver care shaped by each tumor's biology—moving from fragmented data to true precision.

About SENTIS™ Cancer+ Discovery Panel

BGI Genomics SENTIS™ Cancer+ Discovery Panel provides your labs with one of the market’s most comprehensive and accurate NGS-based testing solution for the identification of actionable somatic and germline mutations and the discovery of novel variants with important functions in cancer. The panel offers exon coverage of 688 cancer-related genes and interrogates the most common types of alterations, including SNVs, indels, CNVs and fusions in solid tumors.

About BGI Genomics

BGI Genomics, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, is the world's leading integrated solutions provider of precision medicine. Our services cover more than 100 countries and regions, involving more than 2,300 medical institutions. In July 2017, as a subsidiary of BGI Group, BGI Genomics (300676.SZ) was officially listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.