7 Benefits of Precision Medicine You Need to Know

Doctors used to treat everyone the same way. Thanks to precision medicine, treatments can now be customized based on your unique body, genes, and lifestyle.

The potential benefits extend far beyond just better treatment outcomes. Let’s explore seven ways precision medicine is improving healthcare today.

What is Precision Medicine?

Medicine is moving away from the old “one-size-fits-all” model. This approach gave everyone with the same condition the same treatment.¹ But people’s bodies and how they respond to treatment can be very different.

Precision medicine uses your unique genetic makeup, environment, and lifestyle to guide healthcare decisions. With this approach, doctors can match you with the care that fits you best. The goal is simple: the right treatment, for the right person, at the right time.²

You might also hear the terms “individualized” or “personalized” medicine.³ These are often used interchangeably with precision medicine.

However, “precision medicine” usually means grouping people by shared traits, like a specific gene mutation.⁴ It focuses on using science and data to match individual patients with the treatments most likely to work for them.

Key Technologies Driving Precision Healthcare

Precision medicine is advancing fast, thanks to powerful technologies. The Human Genome Project opened the door by mapping all human genes.⁵ This led to the rise of ‘omics’ technologies like genomics and proteomics.⁶ These tools reveal how genes, proteins, and other molecules affect health.

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) made DNA sequencing dramatically faster and more affordable.⁷ What once cost billions now can be done for a fraction of the price, making genetic profiling increasingly accessible for both research and clinical use.

Biomarkers serve as crucial indicators in precision medicine. These measures help guide diagnostic and therapeutic decisions, track disease risk and progression, and monitor medical treatment response with unprecedented accuracy.

The vast amounts of data generated require sophisticated analysis, with Big Data and AI uncovering patterns that guide personalized healthcare decisions.

Today, these technologies are no longer confined to research labs or hospitals. At-home biomarker testing puts powerful health insights directly in your hands.

Longevity blood test panels like Jinfiniti’s AgingSOS are part of this exciting shift, offering insights that empower individuals to optimize their health journey.

Benefits of Precision Medicine

Here are seven key benefits that show why precision medicine is reshaping the future of healthcare.

1. More Effective and Targeted Treatments

Precision medicine makes treatments more effective by targeting the root cause of illness in each person. Doctors now tailor care based on your unique biology.

For example, in cancer care, doctors can study a tumor’s genes to find specific mutations.⁸ Then they choose a drug that targets that exact problem. This is called precision oncology.⁹

These treatments often work better and have fewer side effects. They’re designed to stop the disease at its source. It’s a smarter, more focused way to fight disease.

2. Reducing Medication Side Effects

Not everyone responds to medications the same way. Some drugs work great for one person but cause serious side effects in another.

Precision medicine helps solve this problem through a field called pharmacogenomics (PGx).¹⁰ PGx looks at how your genes affect the way your body handles medicine. 

Doctors can choose safer and more effective drugs by testing your genes before starting treatment. This helps prevent bad reactions and avoids wasting time on drugs that don’t work.¹¹

For example, people with the HLA-B*5701 gene can have a severe reaction to the HIV drug abacavir.¹² Testing first can prevent this.

Other genes, like CYP2C9 or VKORC1, affect how your body handles blood thinners like warfarin.¹³ Knowing your gene type can help set the right dose.

The same goes for painkillers like codeine, some antidepressants, and even cholesterol or heart drugs. PGx helps avoid side effects and improves results.

3. Improved Disease Diagnosis

Precision medicine helps doctors diagnose diseases more accurately. It uses genetic and molecular information, not just symptoms or tissue samples under a microscope.

For example, lung cancer is no longer treated as one disease.¹⁴ It’s now divided into types based on specific gene mutations like EGFR or ALK, each needing different treatments.¹⁵

Advanced tools like whole-genome sequencing can find the exact gene causing a rare disease. This ends years of guessing and helps families finally get answers.¹⁶

Programs like the Undiagnosed Diseases Network use these tools to solve tough medical mysteries. Knowing the cause can lead to better care and early treatment.¹⁷

Other tools include biomarker tests, liquid biopsies, and high-tech imaging. These help detect diseases earlier and track treatment results with less pain or risk.

4. Better Prediction of Disease Risk

Precision medicine also helps predict your risk for disease by looking at your genes. This means you can take action before symptoms start.

Some people carry gene mutations, like BRCA1 or BRCA2, that raise the risk of cancer.¹⁸ Genomic testing helps them plan for early screening or prevention.

For common diseases like heart disease, small changes in many genes add up. Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) combine these into one score to show your personal risk.¹⁹

5. Personalized Prevention Strategies

Precision medicine shifts the focus from treating disease to preventing it. By knowing your genetic risk, you can take action early. For example, women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, which increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, can benefit from precision medicine.^{20 21} This includes:

• Enhanced Surveillance: More frequent screenings, like mammograms and MRIs, to catch cancer early.
  
• Chemoprevention: Medications like Tamoxifen to reduce cancer risk.
  
• Risk-Reducing Surgery: Surgeries, such as mastectomies, to dramatically lower cancer risk.

For everyday conditions like diabetes, genetic testing or PRS can be a game-changer. Knowing your risk may inspire healthy habits like better eating, more exercise, and quitting smoking.

PRS can also help doctors tailor screening schedules, like starting mammograms earlier if your risk is high. This means catching diseases sooner, when they’re easier to treat.

6. More Efficient Healthcare

Precision medicine helps make healthcare work better by using targeted treatments instead of guesswork.²² This saves time, money, and helps patients feel better faster.

In regular medicine, doctors often try different drugs until one works. With precision medicine, tests like pharmacogenomics can help choose the right treatment the first time.²³

These tests can also predict bad reactions to drugs before they happen.²⁴ That means fewer hospital visits, fewer side effects, and fewer wasted prescriptions.

Drug companies also benefit from precision tools. They can design smaller and faster clinical trials by choosing patients more likely to respond.

Finding diseases early is another win. When problems are caught sooner, treatment is often easier and cheaper.

7. Potential Cost Savings

Precision medicine tools can be expensive at first.²⁵ But over time, they may help save money and improve care.

Instead of wasting money on treatments that don’t work, doctors can choose the best option right away. This can lower costs from hospital visits, side effects, and delays.²⁶

Some tests, like those for certain heart drugs or cancer risks, are already showing good value. They help prevent problems before they start, saving money and lives.

In cancer care, expensive drugs may work well for certain patients. Testing helps avoid spending on people who won’t benefit.

Precision medicine can also make drug research faster and cheaper. Smaller, focused trials mean companies spend less to get new medicines approved.

Not all tests are covered by insurance, and some fear it’s only for the wealthy. But as costs drop, precision tools may become more affordable for everyone.

The Future of Precision Medicine

Precision medicine is changing how we treat and prevent disease. It uses your genes, lifestyle, and environment to guide care.²⁷ This approach makes diagnosing rare or hard-to-find conditions easier.

By spotting health risks early, people can take steps to stay healthy. This includes lifestyle changes, regular checks, and preventive therapies.

Over time, precision medicine may also save money. It avoids unecessary treatments and helps the healthcare system run more smoothly.

Moving Toward Personalized Healthcare

Healthcare is evolving from precision medicine to an even more holistic approach called P4 medicine:²⁸ Predictive, Preventive, Personalized, and Participatory.

This model builds on precision by using your unique data to prevent illness and tailor treatments.²⁹ It also seeks to involve you more in your health journey.

Jinfiniti’s TAO approach (Test, Act, Optimize) aligns perfectly with this shift. It starts with testing your current cellular health through our at-home biomarker panels. 

You then act on these results with targeted interventions. Finally, you optimize your approach through ongoing monitoring and adjustments.

This cycle of measurement and targeted action helps you extend your healthspan – the period of life you spend in good health. After all, the goal isn’t just to live longer, but to live better.

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