Precision Medicine Specialists

Throughout history, physicians have largely taken a “one-size-fits-all” approach to patient care, although many consider research that was conducted on blood type matching for transfusions in the early 20^th century as an early form of precision medicine. In the past three decades, precision medicine has become a prominent field due to advances in technology and scientific discoveries regarding genetics and other fields. Major milestones in the development of precision medicine include the:

• founding of the Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Consortium, which sought to identify, map, and make publicly available human genomic markers (1999)
• launch of the first next-generation sequencing technology by Lynx Therapeutics; the technology allows for the sequencing of an entire genome in a fraction of the time it took in the past (2000)
• completion of the Human Genome Project, which revolutionized genetics by mapping the entire sequence of the human genome (2005)
• completion of the International HapMap Project, which created a haplotype map of the human genome that describes the common patterns of human genetic variation (2010)
• launch of the Human Epigenome Project, which was established to map epigenetic markers in the human genome to understand the role of gene regulation in development and disease (2010)
• development of a method of repurposing CRISPR technology to cut DNA with a type of genetic scissors in precise locations or order to edit or remove genes that created disease-causing mutations or other effects (2012)

The field of precision medicine has grown rapidly because of these developments, advances in technology (e.g., artificial intelligence, remote healthcare monitoring technology, medical Big Data–powered analytics software), and discoveries in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, and other fields. “Precision medicine has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by shifting the focus from reactive treatment to proactive prevention,” according to the American Board of Precision Medicine. “By leveraging advanced technologies and data analytics, precision medicine empowers healthcare professionals to make more informed decisions and deliver personalized, patient-centered care.”

In addition to treating patients via precision medicine, the biopharmaceutical industry continues to conduct research to identify new personalized drugs. In 2023, 38 percent of all new drugs approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration were precision medicines, according to the Personalized Medicine Coalition.