For over a century, the microscope has been the oral pathologist’s most trusted tool for diagnosing disease. Yet, in the era of precision medicine, morphological clues alone cannot capture the full complexity of cancer. Bioinformatics is opening a new dimension, revealing what remains invisible to the eye, by translating genetic and epigenetic data into clinically meaningful insights. By integrating these computational approaches into the oral pathologist’s toolkit, we can move from simply identifying disease under the microscope to decoding its molecular drivers and anticipating treatment response.
With the vast amount of biological data now available, bioinformatics, a field combining biology and computer science, has become essential for organizing, analyzing, and interpreting this information. Researchers now use powerful bioinformatics tools and databases to discover novel biomarkers, predict therapeutic targets, and improve our understanding of mechanisms underlying various diseases at the molecular level.
This session will highlight how bioinformatics is being applied in oral pathology to expand diagnostic capabilities, guide biomarker discovery, and open new avenues for targeted treatment. Through examples of different applications of bioinformatics in oral pathology research, we will explore how bioinformatics can serve as a “molecular lens” on oral diseases, helping pathologists “decode” complex biological signals and contribute to more precise and personalized patient care.

Objectives:

-Recognize the concept of bioinformatics and its integration in oral pathology and oral cancer research.
-Explore different publicly available databases and tools used in bioinformatics to retrieve valuable information for genetic and epigenetic research.
– Analyze how bioinformatics supports biomarker discovery and the identification of therapeutic targets.
-Evaluate the contribution of bioinformatics in targeted therapy and precision medicine.