By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    headphones can create health problems
    The Harmful Health Effects of Using Headphones
    September 24, 2021
    Headache causes
    4 Causes Of Headache You Probably Didn’t Know About
    December 28, 2021
    follow these steps to recover from your injury
    What Steps Should You Take to Recover More Quickly from an Injury?
    April 12, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    private
    Private Exchanges: Getting Ready for Individual Health Insurance to Be the Standard
    January 9, 2014
    valueable healthcare programs
    5 Most Valuable Healthcare Programs in 2023
    March 8, 2023
    Johnson & Johnson to Release Clinical Trial Data in Agreement with Yale Medical School
    February 4, 2014
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: What Is Personalized Medicine?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Specialties > What Is Personalized Medicine?
Specialties

What Is Personalized Medicine?

Eileen O'Brien
Eileen O'Brien
Share
0 Min Read
doctor's hands holding stethoscope
SHARE

doctor's hands holding stethoscope“’Personalized medicine’ refers to the tailoring of medical treatment to the individual characteristics of each patient,” according to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology report, doctor's hands holding stethoscope“’Personalized medicine’ refers to the tailoring of medical treatment to the individual characteristics of each patient,” according to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology report, Priorities for Personalized Medicine. “It does not literally mean the creation of drugs or medical devices that are unique to a patient, but rather the ability to classify individuals into subpopulations that differ in their susceptibility to a particular disease or their response to a specific treatment. Preventive or therapeutic interventions can then be concentrated on those who will benefit, sparing expense and side effects for those who will not.”

We’re moving from the age of one size fits all medicine to personalized medicine based on the genetic profile of individual patients.

Cancer and personalized medicine
Personalized medicine in cancer has made tremendous strides due to the discovery of biomarkers and their corresponding targeted therapies. Biomarkers are defined by the National Cancer Institute as “A biological molecule found in blood, other body fluids, or tissues that is a sign of a normal or abnormal process, or of a condition or disease. A biomarker may be used to see how well the body responds to a treatment for a disease or condition.” Biomarkers for a variety of tumor types, such as breast, colorectal and lung cancer, have been identified. These predictive biomarkers can identify the patient subpopulations that are most likely to respond to a specific therapy.

 

More Read

Tips For Ensuring Your Teeth And Gums Remain Healthy
Can New Beauty Enhancements Improve Our Mental Health?
The Top Ten Myths about Heart Disease
Now Your iPhone Can Take Your Pulse
The 4 Best Apps for People with Diabetes

One of the first examples of personalized medicine is the drug Herceptin. “About 30% of patients with breast cancer have a form that over-expresses a protein called HER2, which is not responsive to standard therapy. Herceptin was approved for patients with HER2 positive tumors in 1998 and further research in 2005 showed that it reduced recurrence by 52% in combination with chemotherapy,” reports the Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC).

The importance of diagnostic tests
To determine whether these new targeted medications will work, the tumors need to be tested for the presence of the biomarker. Diagnostic tests are an essential part of the development of these personalized therapies. I attended a Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association event at Merck where Daniel Winkelman from BioTrends noted, “Approximately 10% of marketed drugs recommend a genetic test for optimal treatment.” The FDA has included as part of therapy labels the applicable branded diagnostic test.

For example, the medication Selzentry targets a specific strain of HIV known as CCR5-tropic. “Selzentry was developed in conjunction with the Trofile™ assay, a molecular diagnostic test that determines if a patient is carrying the CCR5-tropic variation of the virus,” explains PMC.

The future looks bright
Winkelman said that in the past five years there has been a 75% increase in the pharma industry investment in personalized medicine. As targeted therapies are developed for more subpopulations, this investment can be expected to pay off for both industry and patients. What do you think the future holds for personalized medicine?

Image courtesy of Alex Proimos on Flickr (CC BY).

TAGGED:personalized medicinepharmaceuticals
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

EHRs Now Predict a Connection Between Type 2 Diabetes and Dementia

August 25, 2013
dental x-rays
Dental healthSpecialties

The Evolution of Dental X-Rays

December 10, 2020
co-occurring disorders
Specialties

What To Know About The Prevalence Of Co-Occurring Disorders

October 9, 2020
healthcare technology
BusinessMedical Ethics

Florida Pill Mill Clinics

September 1, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?