The overarching promise of personalized medicine is to optimize medical care and outcomes for each individual.

It recognizes that the best treatments, medications, dosages, and preventive strategies may differ from person to person--resulting in customized patient care.

Personalized medicine takes into consideration that all human diseases have both molecular and environmental components. The study of genetic variation has proven to be more complex than previously imagined, but is steadily moving forward. Proteomics and Metabolomics are still in the early stages of study and are not yet used routinely in the clinic, but the potential is great.

Traditionally, during a doctor’s visit, patients would explain their symptoms, answer questions concerning their past and present medical history, report their family medical history, and in some cases may undergo diagnostic procedures, such as x-rays and blood tests. Patient diagnosis and treatment are determined based on clinical presentation, medical history, lifestyle factors, and test results.

Personalized medicine is an evolving model of healthcare delivery that determines appropriate treatments based on each patient’s unique characteristics. A significant difference between personalized medicine and the traditional model of care is the use of an individual’s genomic information, where molecular data is used to determine appropriate treatments. (Steele, 2009).

Expected Improvements

“Content Developed September 1, 2012”