What is Precision Medicine?
The practice of precision medicine is about providing the right treatment (or prevention) to each individual at the right time.
Although physicians have always taken a personalized approach to medicine, the arrival of more sophisticated diagnostics and therapies allows us to more precisely classify disease states on a mechanistic basis. By knowing the nature of the disease with molecular-level accuracy, we can treat their root causes.
For example, recent advances in genomic medicine revealed that adenocarcinoma of the lung, once regarded as a single entity based on its appearance under the microscope, is actually a group of distinct disorders, each with characteristic molecular “drivers.” This knowledge allows oncologists to use more tailored therapies to treat people.
In addition to cancer, we’re using precision medicine approaches to diagnose and treat a wide variety of disorders, ranging from preterm birth to cardiovascular disease. Watch the video to learn more about it.