Research, experimentation and evidence are the cornerstones upon which modern medicine is being built. More and more scientific research depends on access to individual and population level data, with the need to keep personal information private often weighed against the need to share it for the potential benefit of the public good. Sharing information from sequencing, databanks and repositories, quality-assurance efforts, public health measures and patient-generated data is essential for development of new medical treatments and improving existing health services.
Much has been made in recent years of the positive developments in next generation sequencing (NGS) and how the use of detailed information about the biological make-up of an individual has been successfully used to identify patient-appropriate therapies. At this point in time, however, there are only a relatively small number of cases where such personalised, or stratified, medicine approaches have been applied – cancer care being one where treatments are recommended based on individual likelihood of response, determined by genetic profile.
What stratified medicine could mean for patients before, during and after an illness first presents, is a potential game-changer. It is therefore in everyone’s interests to transform how complex disease is diagnosed and treated, and to support the discovery of new drugs and technologies.
Not yet a Subscriber?
This is a small extract of the full article which is available ONLY to premium content subscribers. Click below to get premium content on Manufacturing Chemist.
Subscribe now Already a subscriber? Sign in here.