Biological determinants of health: Genes, microbes, and metabolism exemplars of nursing science.

BACKGROUND: Increasingly, nurse scientists are incorporating "omics" measures (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) in studies of biologic determinants of health and behavior. The role of omics in nursing science can be conceptualized in several ways: (a) as a portfolio of biological measures (biomarkers) to monitor individual risk, (b) as a set of combined data elements that can generate new knowledge based on large and complex patient data sets, (c) as baseline information that promotes health education and potentially personalized interventions, and (d) as a platform to understand how environmental parameters (e.g., diet) interact with the individual's physiology.

PURPOSE: In this article, we provide exemplars of nursing scientists who use omics to better understand specific health conditions.

METHODS: We highlight various ongoing nursing research investigations incorporating omics technologies to study chronic pain vulnerability, risk for a pain-related condition, cardiometabolic complications associated with pregnancy, and as biomarkers of response to a dietary intervention.

DISCUSSION: Omics technologies add an important dimension to nursing science across many foci of investigation. However, there are also challenges and opportunities for nurse scientists who consider using omics in their research.

CONCLUSION: The integration of omics holds promise for increasing the impact of nursing research and practice on population health outcomes.