Personalized

Personalized medicine is a medical model that separates patients into different groups - with medical decisions, practices, interventions and/or products being tailored to the individual patient based on their predicted response or risk of disease. The terms personalized medicine, precision medicine, stratified medicine and P4 medicine are used interchangeably to describe this concept though some authors and organizations use these expressions separately to indicate particular nuances.

While the tailoring of treatment to patients dates back at least to the time of Hippocrates, the term has risen in usage in recent years given the growth of new diagnostic and informatics approaches that provide understanding of the molecular basis of disease, particularly genomics. This provides a clear evidence base on which to stratify (group) related patients.

History

The idea of personalized medicine is not new. But prior to the sequencing of the human genome, personalized medicine referred to the tailoring of medical treatment to the individual characteristics of each patient. The term was first coined in the context of genetics, though it has since broadened to encompass all sorts of personalization measures.

Genomics and personalized medicine

Genomics is the study of the full genetic complement of an organism (the genome). Genomics uses DNA sequencing methods and bioinformatics to sequence, assemble, and analyze the function and structure of genomes. Advances in genomics have triggered a revolution in discovery-based research and systems biology to facilitate understanding of even the most complex biological systems such as the brain.

Pharmacogenomics

Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genes affect a person's response to drugs. This relatively new field combines pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and their functions) to develop effective, safe medications and doses that will be tailored to a person's genetic makeup.

Challenges and criticism

While the benefits of personalized medicine are apparent, there are challenges to its widespread adoption. These include the integration of genetic medicine into primary care, the lack of knowledge about genetic variation in certain populations, and the high cost of genetic testing.

See also

• Genetic testing
• Precision medicine
• Pharmacogenetics
• Pharmacogenomics
• Genomics
• Bioinformatics

References

Personalized Resources
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