19
Keynote
2020
Januar y
12-2 3
Precision Medicine: Opportunities and Challenges
DESCRIPTION
Precision medicine — prevention and treatment strategies that take individual variability into account — has gained broad
recognition. Moreover, the development of large-scale biological databases (such as the human genome sequence), more
sophisticated methods for characterizing patients, and computational tools for analyzing large sets of data, extends preci-
sion medicine to a whole new scale with promises for the rapid advancement of the science. Beyond new drugs, advances
in diagnostics are having a profound impact on the development of precision medicine. Clinical practice is introducing these
scientific and technological advances, linking individualized assessments about disease risks, treatment responses, and
dosage requirements to better treatment and prevention options. Building on the successes in HIV treatment, advanced
molecular diagnostics technologies are now used to inform treatment decisions across infectious diseases such as hepatitis
B and C, tuberculosis, and Ebola. For non-communicable diseases, more 3 of 5 than 5,000 Mendelian disorders are now
understood at the genetic level, with the promise of new disease prevention, monitoring, and treatment options for patients.
Also, another crucial area is oncology, where the standard of patient care for a growing number of cancers is incorporating
genomic profiling tests. However, as existing health systems are not suited for innovation and for realizing the full potential
of precision medicine, adoption and diffusion of innovations in precision medicine and institutionalizing them represents a
challenge.
SPEAKER Rifat Atun
Professor of Global Health Systems at Harvard University
EVENT FORMAT