How Precision Medicine Can Benefit Patients

In his recent presentation at the 2023 South Beach Symposium (SBS), Christopher G. Bunick, MD, PhD, discussed precision medicine, examining the role of genomics and personalized care for patients.

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According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), precision medicine is an innovative approach to tailoring disease prevention and treatment that takes into account differences in people’s genes, environments, and lifestyles. This is as opposed to a ‘one size fits all’ approach. 

Dr. Bunick reviewed molecular endotypes, stating, “precision medicine is driven by molecular endotype.” He went on to explain that even though certain diseases may present themselves similarly in patients, therefore presenting the same clinical phenotype, the underlying disease itself, may not be the same. It is the case that better treatment for patients depends on knowing these endotypes.

“Part of what the genomic revolution is bringing to dermatology is to be able to take these patients that all look the same morphologically, or phenotypically, and say, what are the molecular endotypes?”

The ability to be as accurate as possible at the endotype level is what allows treatment to be refined and personalized to fit each individual. Where standardized treatment may work for some, it may be the case that it does not work at all for others. Yet, ultimately, the aim of any clinician is to provide the best treatment possible for their patient. With precision medicine, treatment can be personalized for each patient, therefore optimizing patient outcomes and satisfaction.

During his presentation, Dr. Bunick also reviewed some emerging technologies that are advancing precision medicine. He spoke briefly about next-generation sequencing of dermally extracted RNA and the Cytokine RNA in situ Hybridization, which allows a profile to be built for druggable cytokines.

Dr. Bunick closed his presentation with a look at the research surrounding precision medicine. It suggests that the global market is due to grow to USD 738.8 billion by the year 2030, a market growth rate of 12.1% from 2020 to 2030.

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