Precision medicine isn’t exactly a brand-new concept. The idea of precision medicine can hark back to the late 19th and early 20th century, when Sir William Osler — one of the four founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital — said, “It is much more important to know what sort of patient has disease than what sort of disease a patient has.”
This focus on such individualized treatment widened in 2015, as then-U.S. President Barack Obama introduced the precision medicine initiative. This movement brought innovative treatments designed for certain characteristics, such as a patient’s genetic makeup, environment, and lifestyle, with a goal of better patient outcomes and being closer to finding a cure for cancer and diabetes.
What Makes Precision Medicine Possible?
Technological advancements are to thank for the rise of precision medicine. Specifically, large databases with genetic testing and molecular biology information are now more available to healthcare personnel and researchers than ever before. Having such access to this breadth of information opens up new avenues for effective treatments and care paths, especially when including and cross-comparing pharmacological and socio-economic factors.
What is the Prevalence of Precision Medicine?
Shortly after funding increased during the precision medicine initiative, a 2016 HIMSS Analytic Poll found that 29% of responding providers are using genomics, environment, and lifestyle data to tailor treatment decisions. Following a brief dip in precision medicine advancements due to the COVID-19 pandemic (at least for cancer treatments), a 2022 Personalized Medicine Coalition report outlined several strides for precision medicine. Some highlights include:
- Since 2015, over 25% of new drug approvals by the FDA have been precision medicines, with 34% of all 2022 drug approvals being precision medicine modalities
- The approval of five new gene- or cell-based therapies, which can dramatically improve patient care by genetically re-engineering a patient’s own cells to fight disease
- Clearance or approval of significant new or widened indications for 12 diagnostic testing systems that can help to target treatments to only patients that will benefit — saving expenses and side effects for patients who will not
How Do Primex Solutions Work Alongside Precision Medicine?
Nearly everything within a hospital or health system relies on proper timeliness, and precision medicine is no exception. Similarly, ensuring proper lab sample storage is vital to protecting DNA samples, which helps put the personalization in personalized treatment plans.
First, enter Primex OneVue Sync™ — a synchronized clock system that helps everything and everyone stay on time. Besides researchers publishing evidence-based approaches, precision medicine is only as good as the healthcare providers enacting it. When clocks throughout a hospital or health system are operating at continuous synchronized time, the rate of on-time precision medicine delivery can increase, which improves patient outcomes and experience.
Additionally, Primex synchronized clocks — whether analog or digital — can supplement the genetic testing portion of precision medicine by helping to ensure proper sample turnaround time.
But what good is a sample if it’s not stored safely? Primex OneVue Sense® automated monitoring can help. When placed inside refrigeration or freezer storage units, Primex temperature sensors detect out-of-range temperatures and provide both local and electronic alerts via email, text message, or phone call — giving you time to take corrective action and protect your (and your patients’) invaluable samples.
Contact Primex Today to Start Supplementing Your Precision Medicine Journey
Whether or not your healthcare staff is currently practicing precision medicine, optimize your facility with Primex solutions. Set your hospital operations up for success with guaranteed synchronized clocks and automated monitoring technology by contacting us today.