Personalized Medicine is the Future

It is officially the final month of our senior projects.
To all the seniors out there, I hope you are happy with all the college acceptances that came out this week! 

For this post, I am going to be talking about the emerging field of personalized medicine. Also called precision and stratified medicine, this procedure tailors diagnosis and treatment to specific patients. 

Every person is different. Each patient has a unique set of genes and their expressions. Thus, it only makes sense that some diagnoses and treatments would vary. Personalized medicine takes into account takes the individuality of every patient.

In the words of former president Barack Obama, precision medicine promises "the right treatments at the right time, every time, to the right person." 

An example of this are the new advances in genomics. New technology allows us to sequence people's genes. This not only gives insight into human DNA, but also allows for diagnosis of hereditary diseases. For instance, a mutated BRCA1 gene usually leads to the develop of breast cancer in a patient. 

However, the genetic information itself is not what makes the difference, but the behavior following. If genetics predisposes someone to diabetes, they have to take action to avoid the disease early-on. 

This movement toward individualized medicine makes sense. Patients want to know they are getting the best care possible. This new treatment system ensures each patient is given the time and attention they need. 

Now to relate this to my project, I would argue that laser scanning a patient's wound is a form of personalized medicine.

Potentially, the physician would be given information on the wound dimensions and volume of each patient. Instead of applying the same treatment plan for every wound, doctor's would be able to make specific observations about what the best course of action is for each patient. 

See you next week!