The omics technologies and liquid biopsies: Advantages, limitations, applications

In the recent years, the development of so-called omics technologies has greatly contributed to the discovery of new biomarkers and targets, spanning different areas from diagnosis to therapy, and helping to accelerate the progress of precision and personalized medicine. In addition to classic omics, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, newer-generation omics technologies and related platforms, such as microbiomics and nutrigenomics, are emerging. At the same time, the use of liquid biopsies is becoming established as optimal biological samples, consisting in biological fluids (i.e. blood, saliva, and urine), that are easy to collect, and whose components (cells, nucleic acids, exosome) can be analysed using throughput techniques. In addition, it is becoming attractive, because it consents the extrapolation of big data via multi-omics technologies. Here, we report a brief description and discussion of such technologies, highlighting applications and possible limitations.