Precision Medicine Under the Microscope

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Posted By: Roberta Mullin March 20, 2019

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

Apple Heart Study Demonstrates Ability of Wearable Technology to Detect Atrial Fibrillation
Researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine (@StanfordMed) presented preliminary results of the Apple Heart Study, an unprecedented virtual study with over 400,000 enrolled participants. The researchers reported that wearable technology can safely identify heart rate irregularities that subsequent testing confirmed to be atrial fibrillation, a leading cause of stroke and hospitalization in the United States.

Precision Medicine for Pediatric Cancer
Research performed over the last several decades has led to an increased understanding of the genetics of cancer. The clinical application of this knowledge for pediatric cancer has lagged behind studies performed for adults. In a perspectives article published in the prestigious journal Science, Dr. Jaclyn Biegel, from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (@ChildrensLA), and Dr. Alejandro Sweet-Cordero, of the University of California, San Francisco, survey the landscape of this young field and present opportunities for using genomic information to advance a new era of care for children with cancer.

Statement by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on new strategies to modernize clinical trials to advance precision medicine, patient protections and more efficient product development
Modernizing clinical trials is an agency wide priority. As more diseases are being redefined based on genomic subtype, researchers have more novel targets and more opportunities to precisely modulate or even repair the basic biological drivers of illness. Precision guided medicines can demonstrate strong efficacy signals in early clinical trials, including in trials where small groups of patients are selected based on biomarkers or other criteria suggesting they’re likely to benefit. These trials can potentially allow earlier regulatory assessment of benefit and risk. Read complete statement.

New Partnership Between BC Platforms and Crestar Labs Aims to Grow Cancer Diagnostics and Precision Medicine Initiatives
BC Platforms (@BCPlatforms), a world leader in secure genomic data management and analytics, announced that it has formed a partnership with Crestar Labs, a US-based clinical diagnostic reference laboratory offering CLIA certified services to healthcare providers to support informed decision making around patient care. BC Platforms will provide Crestar with its customizable, modular platform which includes its genomic data management tools and clinical reporting hub to support Crestar’s cancer screening initiatives and pharmacogenetic reporting in order to help streamline and automate their offering in precision healthcare.

Listen

The Tate Chronicles
The Tate Chronicles airs weekdays at 3:30am, 11:30am, and 7:30pm ET. Listen in to host Jim Tate & his guest Dr. Bryant Gilot, the Chief Medical Officer at Blockchain Health & Center for Personalized Medicine. He is a cardiac surgeon with a demonstrated history of working in the computer software industry and is an expert in crypto currency and medical devices. He holds a Masters of Science in Digital Currency from The University of Nicosia.

Events

All of Us Research Program

Healthcare Standards
AllOfUs – by Keith Boone – Today I scheduled my intake appointment as a participant in the AllOfUs program. My PCP is the PI for their efforts with AllOfUs in the group practice that I use in central Massachusetts, and so I signed up to participate this morning.

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.