Precision or personalized medicine is essentially the use of the information from a person’s genotype to select the most appropriate therapy for a disease or condition. The complete characterization of the human genome was completed in 2007 and today, the cost of genotyping an individual has come down to under $1000. It will take time, however, for our health infrastructure and processes to evolve to make personalized medicine available to all. This section collects reports, articles and case studies on the policy challenges that must be overcome to realize the benefits of personalized medicine.
Personalized Medicine
A state-of-the-art hospital laboratory
This case study, prepared by Health Innovation Forum with contributions from Dr. Elizabeth MacNamara, Director of Diagnostic Medicine at the JGH, and Mr. Ian Parfrement, President and General Manager at Roche Diagnostics, traces how the laboratory at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital (JGH) integrates advances in Roche technology to improve access to tests and expand diagnostic capabilities. — Produced as part of the series: “Partnerships to Enhance Health System Performance.”
October 2013
Comprehensiveness and accessibility in breast cancer
Joseph Ragaz from the BC Cancer Agency presents evidence that cross-Canada variations in comprehensiveness and accessibility combine to affect patient health outcomes.
October 2011
Medicine 2020:Portable, personalized, informed
Health IT is evolving in tandem with genomic and proteomic science: fields that are making personalized medicine a reality. Dr. Vassilios Papadopoulos, Director of the Research Institute of the MUHC, chaired a roundtable discussion of clinicians, patients, researchers and drug developers to look at how health care is likely to change as a result of these new technologies. Around the table were Dr. Armen Aprikian, Chief, Cancer Care Mission, MUHC; Prof. Bartha Knoppers, Director, Centre of Genomics and Policy, McGill University; Mr. Martin Leblanc, President and CEO, Caprion Proteomics; Ms. Gwen Nacos, Founder, Cedars CanSupport, Cedars Cancer Institute; Dr. Tommy Nilsson, Director, Proteomics and Systems Medicine, Research Institute of the MUHC, and Dr. Louise Pilote, Director, Division of General Internal Medicine, MUHC.
June 2010
