Perspectives

This Perspective delivers an introduction to syndemic thinking, and provides insights into how epidemics interact and what scientists, clinicians and policymakers can do with this information.

The authors propose a new conceptual model of critical illness that moves away from the current syndrome-based framework in favor of more precise biological descriptors—spurred by mounting translational evidence and insights from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) research.

Radical rethinking is needed to address the burning issues in cancer care in low- and middle-income countries. In this Perspective, the authors outline the main challenges and top priorities for cancer research now and into the future.

Precision medicine is reshaping cancer care, but the benefits are not accessible to all patients. This Perspective outlines the major challenges to the implementation of precision oncology and discusses critical steps toward resolving these.

In this Perspective, the authors discuss the new digital communications landscape in relation to vaccines and argue that trust is key to overcoming vaccine hesitancy.

Based on their experience of setting up genomic studies in underrepresented populations, the authors propose a roadmap to enhancing inclusion and ensuring that the health benefits of genomics advances are accessible to all.

As polygenic risk scores move closer to widespread clinical use, this Perspective summarizes the benefits, risks and challenges to be overcome.

In this Perspective, the authors discuss the ethical challenges of individualized therapy (also called n-of-1) trials and argue that, although customized for the patient, these constitute ‘research’ nonetheless.

This Perspective discusses recent developments in NSCLC immunotherapy and targeted therapy, and highlights the key challenges and future directions for NSCLC management.

Microbiome science is fast advancing and its careful integration into public health is detailed in this Perspective.

Global coordination of public health efforts will be needed to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and to prepare for future public health emergencies.

All countries worldwide have signed up to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and committed to the objective of achieving universal health coverage. Getting there will require understanding how packages of essential health services can be developed in resource-constrained settings and how experts and the public can make decisions about which health services should be provided free of charge.

Recent advances in computational and laboratory sciences are helping researchers to address large-scale sustained emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and constantly adapt to the emergence of new questions, data and findings in order to synthesize real-time evidence that will inform policy decisions.

A comprehensive strategy for the next steps to ensure vaccination of the global population against SARS-CoV-2 is now required, and key steps and challenges are detailed in this Perspective.

The severity of COVID-19 varies by sex and age, and is linked to comorbidities. Differences in immune reactions may go some way to explain this.

Anticancer therapies that target the HIF oxygen-sensing pathways are moving into the clinic, in particular in kidney cancer.

A strategy for assessing the effectiveness of different strategies for HIV cure is presented.

Home monitoring technologies are being rushed to market during the COVID-19 pandemic; here, safety and privacy considerations are discussed.

To support progress in genomic epidemiology, a transparent, user-friendly approach is required.

PrEP is being incorporated into national HIV-prevention strategies in African countries, with key at-risk populations being prioritized. Expansion of these programs will require better access to and communication about these therapies.