Precision Medicine Under the Microscope

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.”

Precision Medicine in Action

American Association for Cancer Research 2018 Annual Meeting.

For the past five days the authoritative resource and voice for cancer research, the AACR has been conducting their annual meeting. Find their conversation on Twitter at hashtag #AACR2018.

  • CureMatch, Inc. announced new data showcasing advances in Precision Oncology with PreciGENE™ Performance Results.
  • Kura Oncology, Inc. a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of precision medicines for oncology, presented three abstracts relating to their lead product candidate, tipifarnib, and ERK inhibitor, KO-947.
  • BLU-667 Demonstrates Broad Activity in RET+ Advanced Solid Tumors. “Precision oncology has benefitted patients with EGFR, ALK, and ROS1aberrations,” said Vivek Subbiah, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, Division of Cancer Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, during the AACR Annual Meeting. “Unfortunately, patients with RET-altered cancers have not benefitted from precision oncology targets to date.”
  • Personalis, Inc. a leading precision medicine company focused on advanced NGS-based services for immuno-oncology and cancer for clinical trials and translational research presented new data on four different abstracts.

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.

Realizing the Promise of Precision Medicine: The Role of Patient Data, Mobile Technology, and Consumer Engagement
1st Edition, by Paul Cerrato and John Halamka

This book by industry superstars explains the potential of personalized medicine and the value of those approaches in making that potential a reality. The book helps transform one-size-fits-all healthcare into a system that focuses on individual needs and the unique needs of each family member, discussing topics such as U.S. sponsored precision medicine initiative, genomics, the role of electronic health records and mobile medicine, patient engagement and empowerment, health information exchange and patient data protection.

Hear Paul and John discuss the book and the promise of precision medicine on This Just In with host Justin Barnes.

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.

Save the Date: 14th Annual Personalized Medicine Conference, November 14-15 2018 in Boston MA.