When thought leaders lay out a vision of revolutionizing health care in the coming years, it’s usually a fusion of medicine and ground-breaking technology that calls to mind sophisticated AI robots performing noninvasive surgery with lasers to cure cancer in a matter of minutes.
Chances are that, sooner or later, that vision of the future of health care will be realized. But right now, in many more subtle and user-friendly ways, personalized medicine is already with us and changing the lives of ordinary people.
Moving from Population Medicine to Personalized Medicine
Our health-care system still generally operates as a one-size-fits-all model. Some refer to this as a population model. This paradigm suggests that in the majority of people, an ailment—be it a common cold or cancer—has a common predicted trajectory, and most people will benefit from a homogeneous course of treatment. If a particular treatment does not work, then the second-most likely successful treatment plan is prescribed.
This continues until the ailment is relieved. Treatments are set based on available population statistics, and trial and error is used until the patient is well. In this model of medicine, personal characteristics, risk factors, lifestyle choices and genetics are rarely considered. Therefore, the treatment approach will not be ideal in all cases, failing those who do not fit with “average” parameters.
Personalized medicine, on the other hand, advocates the customization of health care. It aims to prevent diseases, as well as tailor treatments to an individual so disease or illness can be targeted in a way that promises the highest chance of success based on the attributes of the individual. An underlying assumption of this approach is personalized medicine (PM) takes into account that drugs and interventions will have varying efficacy based on the person being treated. Personalized healthcare is being used alongside with the terms Precision Medicine and Targeted Therapy.
Personalized Healthcare Approach
Personalized health care (PHC) is an overarching framework for care that unifies predictive technologies with an engaged patient to coordinate care with the primary aim of promoting health and preventing disease. PHC focuses on patient-centered health care, personalized health planning (PHP), shared decision-making, and patient engagement. It seeks to remedy spending on chronic care by encouraging healthy behavior and planning.
The approach is personalized, predictive, preventive, and participatory. Personalized health care tries to address disease before it occurs. It engages you in your health care decision-making. In order to personalize care, medical professionals look your entire health, not just whether or not you have a disease. This comprehensive evaluation of the entire person includes all of the areas of your life that impact your health, such as nutrition, personal relationships, stress, exercise, and your mind-body connection. It also means that your health care team works well together to address your health goals.
Personalized Medicine and Modern Age Technology
In broad terms, personalized medicine means that there is enough data and analytic ability to craft a health and medical strategy for an individual that is absolutely uniquely tailored to their body and their way of life. By collecting data via biometrics and sensors, analyzing that data via AI and machine learning, and relying on immersive digital engagement via smart devices, people and patients have access to always-on, personalized health care solutions.
Through the magical confluence of big data, medical science, cloud sharing and mobile technology, medical professionals are laying the foundations of a system where your health will be monitored via your mobile device, analyzed and used to develop a health care plan tailored to your individual needs.
Eric Topol, the Director and Professor of Genomics at Scripps Translational Science Institute, describes the now-ubiquitous smartphones as the hub of future medicine. Mobile phones and mobile peripherals can be used as biosensors—measuring blood pressure, heart rhythm, blood sugar levels and even brain waves—as well as functioning as a personal scanner such as an otoscope or ultrasound. People can now perform many measurements by themselves, when they want and where it is most convenient for them. They can view and interpret their data without having to visit the doctor, making health care increasingly more personal and individual-based.
Health Technology in the Age of Genomics
The National Human Genome Research Institute emphasizes that personalized medicine involves the use of a patient’s genetic profile to guide decisions regarding prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Modern health technology now allows for the individual’s genome to be examined in order to detect specific characteristics or abnormalities.
Oncology is an area of medicine where DNA sequencing technology has a lot of potential. For example, for lung cancer, there are many personalized treatment options now available based on different lung cancer biomarkers. If there is a medical indication, genetic tests can often be covered by insurance, especially if there is an FDA-approved drug or treatment that is tied to a genetic mutation.
Healthcare Personalization via Mobile Apps
Doctor on Demand, Your.MD virtual assistant app, Talkspace, The Cornerstone4Care app and Ride Health are some examples of how many aspects of the healthcare experience can be personalized.
- Doctor on Demand is a service that provides personalized live video doctor visits to assess symptoms, diagnose conditions and write prescriptions. Patients can get personalized care that addresses their unique medical history while still having the convenience of staying at home.
- Interactive virtual assistant app Your.MD uses AI algorithms to search medical literature covering more than 1,000 conditions. Patients can then chat with the bot about their symptoms or questions to get personalized, accurate responses. After identifying a patient’s potential condition, the bot can connect the user with the best doctors in their area. The personalized, data-driven care ensures all users get the help they need.
- Talkspace makes therapy available to everyone, no matter who they are or where they live. Patients take an assessment and are matched with one of more than 2,000 licensed therapists. They can then text or chat with their therapist whenever they need or set up a video call for longer conversations. Talkspace therapists tailor their approach to each patient and provide personalized care for a variety of mental health conditions.
- Diabetes drug company Novo Nordisk and digital health company Glooko joined forces to create a personalized tool for diabetes monitoring. The Cornerstone4Care app and website make it easy for patients to track their blood sugar and meals and uses up-to-date research to make personalized recommendations for diet, exercise and diabetes management. The app uses each patient’s individual data to make accurate recommendations for better treatment.
- Transportation obstacles are a large reason why many patients avoid getting care or miss their scheduled appointments. Healthcare providers around the country can partner with Ride Health to make it possible for every patient to get to the doctor’s office. Patients’ individual needs are meant with door-to-door service that helps them get over one of the biggest roadblocks to getting healthy.
New Organs From Your Own Cells
Perhaps one of the most sensational innovations in the area of personalized medicine is printing 3-D organs from one’s own cells. It is predicted that in about 10 to 15 years, organs will routinely be produced from cells harvested from patients themselves using 3-D bioprinting technology. In the future, organ transplantations might eventually be replaced by customized organ-growing. Organovo, a company working on personalized bioprinted human tissue, has so far produced 3-D liver models that stay functional and stable for up to 60 days, which is an improvement from the previously established functionality of 28 days. The printed liver tissue can be used for drug testing, offering an alternative to animal and in vitro experiments. It also offers new hope to people with various genetic conditions who could benefit from a transplant.
While the future is in many ways uncertain, there is one sure thing. The healthcare of today will not be the same as the healthcare of tomorrow: it will once again be built around the individual.