Personalized Medicine

PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

"Personalized medicine refers to the tailoring of medical treatment to the individual characteristics of each patient. It does not literally mean the creation of drugs or medical devices that are unique to a patient but rather the ability to classify individuals into subpopulations that differ in their susceptibility to a particular disease or their response to a specific treatment. Preventive or therapeutic interventions can then be concentrated on those who will benefit, sparing expense and side effects for those who will not." (Priorities for Personalized Medicine. 2008).

Modern genetic technology can lead to personalized medicine due to the fact that nowadays, all prescribed drugs for a patient depends on the DNA of that person. The goal of personalized medicine is to gain information based on a person's genes, including his or her nucleotide sequence, to make drugs better and safer for them. Having a full profile of a patient can guide the physician the choice of drugs or treatment protocols that reduces harmful side effects or guarantee a more successful outcome. It can also indicate weakness to certain diseases before they become evident, allowing the physician and patient to set out a plan for monitoring and prevention.

Benefits of personalized medication include the decision of choosing the proper drugs to use that can avoid any side effects as well as determining the right dosage for different people. Two examples that I found that were benefits of personalized medicine are the breast cancer patients' response to a drug called Herceptin and the Cytochrome P450 enzymes with its response to antidepressants. (Personalized Medicine: Hope or Hype? 2008). Herceptin was chosen to be given to women who would really benefit from this medication which were women who test positive for Her2/neu rather than women with Her2-negative tumors. This decision was made based on the fact that Herceptin increases the risk of heart dysfunction, which isn't worth to justify this drug.

The Cytochrome P450 has been related with a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). SSRIs are common prescribed antidepressants. Some people adapt to SSRIs quickly, and others slowly, depending on their genetic makeup. Individuals who adapt to these drugs quickly typically require higher doses because the drug is broken down so quickly, whereas individuals who adapt slower cannot tolerate large doses. In theory, because of this association between CYP450 variation and SSRI function, it should be possible to analyze people's CYP450 genetic makeup and predict not necessarily whether they would benefit from SSRIs , but rather which SSRI to use and what dose would be most beneficial to them. (Personalized Medicine: Hope or Hype? 2008).

The drawback and limitations of personalized medicine is that it may lead to genetic discrimination