Glossary

Precision medicine: Glossary of terms

Welcome to the BiopharmaWire Glossary—a comprehensive biotech glossary and resource for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and life sciences terminology.

This glossary provides clear definitions of essential biotech and pharma terms, helping professionals, students, and industry newcomers understand the language shaping biopharma innovation.

Browse the alphabetical list or jump to a specific letter to quickly find definitions for scientific terms, regulatory terms, and other industry-specific concepts.

Whether you’re reading the latest research, exploring clinical trial updates, or seeking clarity on technical jargon, our glossary is designed to support your search for accurate, up-to-date information in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors.

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Term

Description

AI / Artificial intelligence*

Automated algorithms that can replicate human intelligence and learning with the ability to store, analyse and draw conclusions from information.

Biomarker*

A biological indicator, such as a genetic or molecular characteristic of a patient, which can be found in tissue, blood, urine or other bodily fluids. Biomarkers can be measured to identify underlying pathological or physiological processes.

Biopsy*

Procedure where a tissue sample is taken from the body to analyse for indications of a disease.

Diagnostic test*

Tests used to help determine the suitability of a patient for a certain medicine. They can also be used to identify a disease or its cause.

DNA¶

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) contains the genetic information that defines the development and function of a living organism.

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Term

Description

Knowledge graph#

‘Living’ maps of disease that analyse vast amounts of health and patient-related data to see potential interactions between gene targets, expression and disease. Relationships are detected and analysed using machine learning and AI. By discovering previously unknown patterns in the data, scientists are able to draw better and faster conclusions across a range of complex diseases, for example, identifying new targets to prioritise.

Metabolomics*

The study of all chemical processes involving metabolites.

Multi-omics§

A biological analysis approach where multiple data sets from different omics groups are combined – including genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics.

Mutation¶

An alteration in an organism’s DNA sequence at a specific location in the genome.

Novel target††

A previously unidentified or untargeted molecule, protein or receptor being explored to see if a drug or therapy can interact and alter its function or behaviour.

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Term

Description

Patient cohorts*

A group of patients that share a common trait or condition. Patient cohorts are used to build comprehensive biomedical databases or biobanks which include clinical and molecular data from patients with diseases to provide molecular insights to drive research and drug discovery.

Patient subgroup / population**

A specific group of individuals with common characteristics e.g., specific disease drivers, ethnicity, age or risk factors.

Sequencing¶

Techniques to determine the sequence / primary structure of a biological polymer. For example, DNA sequencing aims to determine the exact order of the four nucleotide bases of a strand of DNA of an individual patient.

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)¶

A DNA variation caused by a single nucleotide (base pair) at a specific position in the genome.

Targeted therapy / treatment*

Specifically designed or selected to interact / interfere with particular molecular targets.

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