Episode 7a: Personalised medicine: tailor-made treatments thanks to genetics and biomarkers

Last week we talked about the future of clinical research. This week, we would like to continue this topic by taking a closer look at personalised medicine.

The medicine of the future will be more individualised. Instead of treating patients with the same disease in a standardised way, the focus will increasingly be on the individual person with their specific biological characteristics. Personalised or precision medicine approaches promise more effective therapies with fewer side effects.

Genetic profiles as the key

An important basis for personalised medicine is the analysis of individual genetic material. Certain genetic variants can indicate how a patient responds to a medication or how high their risk is for certain diseases. This allows treatment to be customised.

Biomarkers for customised therapies 

In addition to genetic characteristics, other biological markers also play an important role. These include certain proteins or metabolic products. Doctors can use these biomarkers to better assess the course of the disease and select the optimum therapy.

Opportunities and challenges

Personalised medicine offers enormous opportunities for better treatment outcomes. At the same time, it poses new challenges for the healthcare system. These include ethical questions regarding the handling of genetic data and the financing of complex individualised therapies.

In the coming years, research will increasingly focus on further developing the potential of personalised medicine. The aim is to provide each patient with the most effective treatment.