The future is precise

AUSTRALIA’S Chief Scientist, Alan Finkel, has highlighted the rapid development of Precision Medicine in an “Occasional Paper” on the topic issued last week.

Finkel noted that advances in science and technology are “clearing the way to what medicine has always aspired to provide: person-specific, custom-fit care”.

Precision Medicine is a term which captures the collective impact of advances in genomics, data science and computing, drawing on a report produced by Australia’s Learned Academies.

The paper notes that the cost of sequencing a genome has fallen from over $100 million less than 20 years ago to just $1,000 today, making the technology far more accessible to labs and clinics.

Technologies accelerating biomedical research are also transforming bedside care, with more targeted treatments and more timely and accurate diagnostic tests.

Hundreds of cancer patients are already receiving customised therapy based on genome analysis, while metabolic defects are being identified in newborn babies more rapidly and accurately than ever before, the report states.

Finkel emphasised the importance of public policy in guiding the healthcare transition, with Precision Medicine able to ensure that Australian life expectancies remain among the highest in the world.

See chiefscientist.gov.au.