During the COVID-19 pandemic, not everyone got infected, and even some of those who got infected were asymptomatic. Although, others suffered from severe symptoms that might have led to death. This phenomenon is noticeable, not only during the COVID-19 pandemic but also in every disease. The secret behind it relies upon our genome. The individual variation in our genomic makeup reshapes how we respond to environmental influences and diseases.

Disease treatment protocols have always followed guidelines, a one-fit-all approach. Which depends on the effect of the disease on our body and how to confront it, it does not consider those differences leading to failure in some cases. Personalized medicine, also known as precision medicine, is a transformative approach that aims to provide a tailored treatment plan for each individual based on their unique genomic makeup. This tailored approach ensures a high treatment success rate.

How is it done?

Scientists invented revolutionary techniques, including Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and DNA human sequencing. For the first time, scientists could know the exact makeup of the human genome. This paved the way for personalised medicine. In order to establish personalised medicine protocol, healthcare providers extract the patient’s genome and analyse it to know its genomic makeup. To pinpoint the variation and to know the patient’s susceptibility to disease. This predicts their responses to medications to optimise treatment outcomes and minimise side effects.

Key benefits of personalised medicine

• Improved diagnosis: Personalised medicine analyses the genetic markers to improve the accuracy of disease diagnosis, leading to early detection and more effective treatment. By analysing the genetic information, healthcare providers can better predict how a disease may progress, allowing for more targeted interventions.
• Improved drug efficacy: Personalised medicine matches the drug to an individual's specific genomic makeup. Increasing the likelihood of positive responses and reducing the risk of ineffective treatment. It helps healthcare providers determine the optimal medication dosage, minimising side effects and maximising therapeutic benefits.
• Reduced adverse drug reactions and avoidance of drug interaction: Personalised medicine can help identify individuals who may be at higher risk of adverse drug reactions, allowing for safer and more effective treatment options. It also can help prevent drug-induced diseases and improve overall patient outcomes.
• Optimise treatment for complex conditions: Personalised medicine gives hope for the treatment of complex conditions like cancer as it provides a tailored treatment plan based on the unique individual’s genetic makeup.
• Disease prevention and risk assessment: Personalised medicine can help to predict who is more vulnerable to certain diseases through predictive testing. This helps healthcare providers develop personalised, preventive measures and early intervention to help vulnerable individuals.
• Cost-effective healthcare: Personalised medicine can reduce healthcare costs by optimising treatment targets and improving its outcomes. Reducing the need for unnecessary tests and procedures, and preventing disease progression. It can ensure that healthcare resources are used efficiently.

Its challenges

Despite the promise of personalised medicine, challenges remain. Challenges may involve:

• Data volume, quality, and complexity: collecting and analysing vast amounts of patient data, including genetic information, medical history, and environmental factors are resource-intensive and require advanced computational capabilities.
• Technological Challenges: Analysing complex genomic data requires powerful computing infrastructure and specialised software. It also needs sophisticated laboratory equipment for testing and other diagnostic procedures. Furthermore, It is accompanied by a high need for skilled, competent professionals to conduct those sensitive procedures and to develop robust computing infrastructure.
• Ethical challenges: Obtaining informed consent from patients for their genetic information collection and usage is crucial but can be complex and time-consuming. Patient data, privacy and security is a major ethical and legal concern because it is mandatory to protect patient data from any unauthorised access and ensure their confidentiality.
• Equity and access: Equity and access to personalised medicine is a major concern because it is challenging to ensure equitable access to personalised medicine services, particularly in underserved populations.

Examples of its applications

Personalised medicine and oncology

Cancer, it focuses on the unique molecular characteristics of individual tumours. Unlike traditional chemotherapy and radiation (which can cause significant side effects due to non-targeted therapy and harming normal cells) personalized medicine aims to selectively target cancer cells while minimizing harm to normal tissue. In addition to targeting only cancer cells, it harnesses the body’s immune system to fight cancer. The application of a personalised medicine approach in cancer treatment offers the potential for more effective, and less toxic therapies.

Personalised medicine and infectious diseases

Personalised medicine is revolutionising infectious disease diagnosis and treatment. Unlike traditional methods, it allows for the analysis of genomic material of pathogen and host. It is expected to play an increasingly significant role in infectious disease surveillance and control by facilitating the rapid identification and characterisation of pathogen and host genomic makeup to help healthcare professionals make effective treatment decisions. Additionally, it can be used to combat microbial resistance by identifying resistant organisms, enabling targeted antibiotic therapy, and reducing the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Conclusion

Although there are challenges regarding personalised medicine, the potential benefits far outweigh them. Personalised medicine is still in its preliminary stages, and has the potential to reshape the healthcare landscape. By unravelling the complexity of human biology, we will be able to revolutionise healthcare by transforming the way we approach disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.