Personalised medicine faces challenges from bench to bedside

While personalised medicine holds the promise of better therapies, there are challenges involved in its widespread implementation, from basic research to uptake in health care, according to report published by the European Commission last week.

These challenges include gaining a better understanding of the molecular basis of diseases, having access to high quality biological samples, developing tests for new biomarkers, and designing new, more flexible means of collecting and analysing genetic data from clinical trials. 

When the science reaches the bedside, there will be a need for “significant upfront investment” in technological upgrades and structural changes, as well as education and training. Healthcare systems will need to prepare for a steep increase in screening and diagnostic tests, and for the processing and analysis of the resulting data.

The Commission says that a shift of focus from therapies to diagnostics would speed up innovation in personalised medicine, and suggests the introduction of “new incentive structures and models such as public-private partnerships” to share costs.

Personalised medicine has potentially, “very great benefits for patients, clinicians and health care systems alike,” including the ability to make more informed decisions, develop more targeted therapies, reduce the probability of adverse reactions to medicines, and shift medical focus towards preventing and predicting diseases. 

However, “a holistic approach is needed to fully appreciate the challenges and opportunities” presented by this medical model, the report finds. 

Since 2007, the EU has spent over €1 billion on research to advance personalised medicine through its Seventh Framework Programme. Moving forward under Horizon 2020, the field stands to benefit from some of the €6.6 billion that will be spent on the “Health, demographic change, and wellbeing” programme. According to the report, the multidisciplinary approach taken by Horizon 2020 will be essential to move personalised medicine forward. 

There are also plans to continue collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry under the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2. The Commission hopes this will create further incentives for industry investment in research into personalised medicine.