What is personalized medicine and how can it help cancer patients and more?
Прогресивне людство постійно перебуває у пошуках шляхів вирішення проблем, які впливають на наше життя, зокрема здоров’я. Сьогодні у світовій практиці персоналізована медицина стає одним з провідних напрямів у системі охорони здоров’я та передбачає створення для кожного окремого пацієнта свого генетичного паспорта. Онкологія, психіатрія, гематологія - основні галузі, в яких персоналізований підхід зараз використовується найчастіше. Проте й раніше він теж мав місце бути у таких галузях, як профілактична медицина, кардіологія, ревматологія та ін. Завдяки застосуванню індивідуальних підходів до фармакотерапії знижується ймовірність небажаних побічних реакцій і, як наслідок, значно зменшуються витрати на лікування.
Of course, it is true that medicine is a priori personalized, because the doctor always takes into account the individual characteristics of each patient before offering the most effective treatment in this particular case. According to the Pharmaceutical Encyclopedia , personalized medicine is an innovative method of pharmacotherapy based on an individual approach to choosing a treatment program based on genetic characteristics of the body to create a unique genetic passport (electronic document containing a combination of letters and numbers DNA information) for treatment and patient health monitoring. That is, it is a personalized approach at the molecular level.
Where did it all start?
It is known that more than 99% of all people’s DNA is the same. Only 1% of this structure makes us unique and can determine the severity of the disease and the effectiveness of its treatment. Biochemist Aaron Chekhanover relied on this fact in his research in molecular biology and proved that a personalized method could be revolutionary in the treatment of cancer - one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 2004.
It is now clear to scientists around the world, for example, that the analysis of BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations now makes it possible to identify women who are at risk for breast cancer. or ovaries. Mutations in these genes increase the risk of oncology by 4-8 times. This explains why such cancers are more common in some families. Mutation in the BRCA1 gene increases the risk of ovarian cancer by 40-50%.
But years have passed from a scientific discovery that gave millions of patients hope for a healthy life. Aaron Chekhanover often travels around the world with conferences (he was in Ukraine in early July), the main message of which is:
- Personalized medicine allows you to use delicate cancer treatment tools that suit a particular patient and significantly reduces adverse reactions the treatment process itself is more predictable and effective;
- each tumor is unique and to get a good result, you must determine the molecular profile of the tumor;
- among the 8 billion people on the planet it is impossible to find two completely identical people, even twins develop differently, because they differ in genetic structure;
- if you take a disease such as breast cancer, then in different organisms the process will be different, even if the cause is one mutation;
- it should be understood that each case of oncology is a disease of a particular person and should be treated taking into account individual genomic ( aggregate of all hereditary genetic information - ed. ) features.
Is it possible to use the health care system at the general level?
Personalized medicine also expands the possibilities in the treatment of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular failure, infectious diseases. In these cases, a combination of genetic factors and lifestyle becomes fundamental. For example, in the UK, public health systems are already using genomic differences to determine the likelihood of developing a type of cancer. The BBC recently reported on 11-year-old Yuvan Takkar, the first CAR-T patient to be treated for leukemia in the Kingdom, based on an analysis of his genome.This means that data on differences in the genome alone are insufficient to predict the risk of disease. And measuring the activity of genes also provides information about the stress that the body experiences. For example, some genes show more or less activity depending on the type of infection. Also, the method of personalized medicine has long been used in Israel and the United States. In the United States, this reduces health care costs by $ 604 million. for a year (!).
What is the situation in Ukraine?
In Ukraine, domestic scientists have been talking about personalized medicine, in particular in oncology, since 2011. When it is established in the paradigm of the official health care system - the question is open, most likely the beginning of its development will be a private commercial basis. This can be observed today, because not so long ago, in January 2019, the first Ukrainian service of personalized pharmacy with an online service - Chemoteka. This center manufactures medicines for cancer patients from certified international substances, taking into account all the individual characteristics of the patient and the doctor’s prescription. Doctors, patients and representatives of charitable organizations can use the online service through the personal account. There, the patient can also calculate the cost of drugs, see the treatment regimen, get a free consultation.
Today’s world medical practice emphasizes that the future of personalized treatment in general largely depends on the speed of analysis of gene activity. Currently, they are held in laboratories and take a long time. But doctors need to determine the properties of genes in minutes to choose the most effective method. Scientists are developing a new technology, based on which a device has already been created - a microelectrode biosensor, which allows real-time monitoring of critical changes in blood properties. With such techniques, genomic information, including gene activity data, can be adopted by family physicians. Data on the personalized genome will allow doctors to determine the optimal combination of drugs for each person at a particular stage of his disease.
We will hope that such a promising medical future for Ukraine is not so distant and that oncodiagnosis will not be a verdict, but will be successfully and effectively treated.
Author Kateryna Stebelska
Read also : How is inclusive education implemented in Ukraine
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Of course, it is true that medicine is a priori personalized, because the doctor always takes into account the individual characteristics of each patient before offering the most effective treatment in this particular case. According to the Pharmaceutical Encyclopedia , personalized medicine is an innovative method of pharmacotherapy based on an individual approach to choosing a treatment program based on genetic characteristics of the body to create a unique genetic passport (electronic document containing a combination of letters and numbers DNA information) for treatment and patient health monitoring. That is, it is a personalized approach at the molecular level.
Where did it all start? It is known that more than 99% of all people’s DNA is the same. Only 1% of this structure makes us unique and can determine the severity of the disease and the effectiveness of its treatment. Biochemist Aaron Chekhanover relied on this fact in his research in molecular biology and proved that a personalized method could be revolutionary in the treatment of cancer - one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 2004.
It is now clear to scientists around the world, for example, that the analysis of BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations now makes it possible to identify women who are at risk for breast cancer. or ovaries. Mutations in these genes increase the risk of oncology by 4-8 times. This explains why such cancers are more common in some families. Mutation in the BRCA1 gene increases the risk of ovarian cancer by 40-50%.
But years have passed from a scientific discovery that gave millions of patients hope for a healthy life. Aaron Chekhanover often travels around the world with conferences (he was in Ukraine in early July), the main message of which is:
- Personalized medicine allows you to use delicate cancer treatment tools that suit a particular patient and significantly reduces adverse reactions the treatment process itself is more predictable and effective;
- each tumor is unique and to get a good result, you must determine the molecular profile of the tumor;
- among the 8 billion people on the planet it is impossible to find two completely identical people, even twins develop differently, because they differ in genetic structure;
- if you take a disease such as breast cancer, then in different organisms the process will be different, even if the cause is one mutation;
- it should be understood that each case of oncology is a disease of a particular person and should be treated taking into account individual genomic ( aggregate of all hereditary genetic information - ed. ) features.
Is it possible to use the health care system at the general level?
Personalized medicine also expands the possibilities in the treatment of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular failure, infectious diseases. In these cases, a combination of genetic factors and lifestyle becomes fundamental. For example, in the UK, public health systems are already using genomic differences to determine the likelihood of developing a type of cancer. The BBC recently reported on 11-year-old Yuvan Takkar, the first CAR-T patient to be treated for leukemia in the Kingdom, based on an analysis of his genome.This means that data on differences in the genome alone are insufficient to predict the risk of disease. And measuring the activity of genes also provides information about the stress that the body experiences. For example, some genes show more or less activity depending on the type of infection. Also, the method of personalized medicine has long been used in Israel and the United States. In the United States, this reduces health care costs by $ 604 million. for a year (!).
What is the situation in Ukraine?
In Ukraine, domestic scientists have been talking about personalized medicine, in particular in oncology, since 2011. When it is established in the paradigm of the official health care system - the question is open, most likely the beginning of its development will be a private commercial basis. This can be observed today, because not so long ago, in January 2019, the first Ukrainian service of personalized pharmacy with an online service - Chemoteka. This center manufactures medicines for cancer patients from certified international substances, taking into account all the individual characteristics of the patient and the doctor’s prescription. Doctors, patients and representatives of charitable organizations can use the online service through the personal account. There, the patient can also calculate the cost of drugs, see the treatment regimen, get a free consultation.
Today’s world medical practice emphasizes that the future of personalized treatment in general largely depends on the speed of analysis of gene activity. Currently, they are held in laboratories and take a long time. But doctors need to determine the properties of genes in minutes to choose the most effective method. Scientists are developing a new technology, based on which a device has already been created - a microelectrode biosensor, which allows real-time monitoring of critical changes in blood properties. With such techniques, genomic information, including gene activity data, can be adopted by family physicians. Data on the personalized genome will allow doctors to determine the optimal combination of drugs for each person at a particular stage of his disease.
We will hope that such a promising medical future for Ukraine is not so distant and that oncodiagnosis will not be a verdict, but will be successfully and effectively treated.
Author Kateryna Stebelska
Read also : How is inclusive education implemented in Ukraine
SUPPORT PROJECTS AND SUPPORT FUNDS