http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-969555.mp3
Albany, NY – In today's Academic Minute, Shaker Mousa of the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences reveals how the mapping of the human genome is leading to personalized medicine.
Shaker Mousa is a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Science at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He also serves at the college's Vice Provost for Research and chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research Institute. His work has been reported in more than 600 publications.
Dr. Shaker Mousa - Personalized Medicine
The current practice of medicine is largely one of trial and error. A patient is given a medication and depending on the outcome, the dose is lowered, raised, or stopped. If the right balance cannot be found, another medication is then tried and the same procedure plays out again.
This is the unfortunate result of our "one size fits all" approach to medicine. It is also why the future is Personalized Medicine. The mapping of the human genome earlier this century has given us an unprecedented insight into our genetic makeup. Combined with better diagnostic testing, we now have the ability to tailor medicine to individual patients, helping ensure that they are diagnosed correctly, get the right medicine and the right dose the FIRST time.
In order to advance the implementation of Personalized Medicine, we need to understand the forces working against its adoption. The large pharmaceutical companies employ business models centered around the development of "blockbuster" drugs, an approach that is in direct conflict with Personalized Medicine. But while Personalized Medicine presents challenges for these companies, it also provides opportunities to save money in clinical trials and gain market share in areas where they may not have a strong presence.
Whatever that future is, one thing is for sure -- Personalized Medicine will play an important role in saving lives, reducing costs, and improving health outcomes. It's an idea whose time has come.