The Precision Medicine Initiative: Data-Driven Treatments as Unique as Your Own Body

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JANUARY 30, 2015 AT 9:19 AM ET BY LINDSAY HOLST

Summary:

The President's 2016 budget includes investments in an emerging field of medicine that takes into account individual differences in people's genes, microbiomes, environments, and lifestyles. It's called the Precision Medicine Initiative.



Right now, most medical treatments are designed for the average patient.

If you need glasses, you aren't assigned a generic pair. You get a prescription customized for you.
If you have an allergy, you get tested to determine exactly what you're allergic to.
If you need a blood transfusion, it has to match your precise blood type. Enter Precision Medicine: health care tailored to you.

Watch Jo Handelsman, Associate Director for Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, explain the Precision Medicine Initiative and its significance.

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The President's 2016 budget includes investments in an emerging field of medicine that takes into account individual differences in people's genes, microbiomes, environments, and lifestyles -- making possible more effective, targeted treatments for diseases like cancer and diabetes. That's incredibly significant, and this is why:

But one size doesn't fit all, and treatments that are very successful for some patients don't work for others. Think about it:



Precision Medicine is already leading to a handful of highly effective treatments tailored to individual patients. Here are a few Americans whose lives have already been changed by these treatments.