Precision Medicine Under the Microscope

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Posted By: Roberta Mullin October 31, 2018

We are on the beat to find and report just what is happening now in Precision Medicine. Look for this on going report each month as we find articles, commentary, interviews, and events of interest on Precision Medicine. Read more posts on Precision Medicine and follow the hashtag #PrecisionMedicine.

The US National Library of Medicine says “although the term ‘precision medicine’ is relatively new, the concept has been a part of healthcare for many years. For example, a person who needs a blood transfusion is not given blood from a randomly selected donor; instead, the donor’s blood type is matched to the recipient to reduce the risk of complications. Although examples can be found in several areas of medicine, the role of precision medicine in day-to-day healthcare is relatively limited. Researchers hope that this approach will expand to many areas of health and healthcare in coming years.”

What is the difference between precision medicine and personalized medicine? What about pharmacogenomics?
According to the NIH US National Libarary of Medicine, National Research Council, there is a lot of overlap between the terms. Learn more.

Precision Medicine in Action

TaiRx, Inc. and BioHealth Innovation, Inc. Form TaiRx US to Develop and Commercialize Therapeutics and Precision Medicine Diagnostics
TaiRx, Inc. and BioHealth Innovation, Inc. (BHI) (@BioHealthInnov) announced the formation of TaiRx US, a new joint venture. The mission of the new company is to develop therapeutics and precision medicine diagnostics focused on the Nodal protein, a critical mediator of aggressive cancer progression and treatment resistance.

BERG Presents New Data Describing Details on Progress of its Oncology Portfolio and Precision Medicine Applications at the European Society for Medical Oncology 2018 Congress
BERG LLC (@BergHealth), a Boston-based biopharmaceutical company that merges biology with technology to map the nature of diseases, announced the presentation of three posters on the progression of its oncology and artificial intelligence (AI)/Biomarker portfolio at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2018 Annual Congress held October 19-23, 2018 in Munich, Germany.

To Read

Stat News
Precision medicine needs a business mindset in order to flourish – Precision medicine, also known as personalized medicine, has the potential to transform how we treat — or even cure — cancer and a host of other diseases such as cystic fibrosis, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. The precision approach to patient care takes into account an individual’s genes, environments, and lifestyle to deliver the right treatment at the right time. Once seen as a futuristic approach, creating personalized, FDA-approved therapies is now a reality. According to an analysis by the Personalized Medicine Coalition, the Food and Drug Administration approved a record number of 19 personalized medicines in 2017, the fourth consecutive year that personalized medicines accounted for more than 20 percent of all new drug approvals.

All of Us Research Program

Houston Area Community Organizations Invite Volunteers to Join NIH’s Landmark Precision Medicine Research Effort
Organizations throughout Houston will host the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Journey, a traveling, hands-on exhibit that raises awareness about the All of Us Research Program. Led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), All of Us is an unprecedented effort to gather genetic, biological, environmental, health and lifestyle data from 1 million or more volunteer participants living in the United States. The program’s ultimate goal is to accelerate research and improve health.

 

Listen

Dr. Nick: The Incrementalist
The Incrementalist airs weekdays at 4:00am, 12 noon, and 8:00pm ET on HealthcareNOW radio. Host Dr. Nick van Terheyden aka Dr. Nick (@drnic1) talks to Adam Pellegrini (@adampellegrini) the GM for Health FitBit about wearables and health. How is Fitbit approaching the wearables space and consumers to keep them engaged, and the recent purchase of Twine Health.

Events

4th Annual Personalized Medicine Conference
November 14-15 2018
Harvard Medical School, Boston MA

The 14th Annual Personalized Medicine Conference: Preparing for the New Possible will convene the world’s leading researchers, investors, industry executives, policy experts, payers, clinicians, and patient advocates to define the landscape and outlook for personalized medicine in science, business, and policy.

Precision Medicine Initiative

The National Library of Medicine also tells us the “Precision Medicine Initiative is a long-term research endeavor, involving the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and multiple other research centers, which aims to understand how a person’s genetics, environment, and lifestyle can help determine the best approach to prevent or treat disease.” The Initiative has both short and long term goals.

Resources

The Journal of Precision Medicine (@JournPrecMed)
The world’s first print publication to discuss the many key global issues surrounding this rapidly evolving landscape. It does so by connecting both ends of the life science continuum – the compelling discoveries being realized in molecular research with the critical needs of the patient in the clinical setting.

The Personalized Medicine Coalition  (@permedcoalition)
PMC, representing innovators, scientists, patients, providers and payers, promotes the understanding and adoption of personalized medicine concepts, services and products to benefit patients and the health system.