Impact of genomic sequencing on precision medicine for clinical oncology

Abstract

Introduction:The molecular classification of cancer through next generation sequencing has transformed drug development towards the molecularly guided era of precision medicine. Genomic sequencing technologies have enabled a complex characterization of an individual's cancer genome, and selection of genomically matched treatment. Areas covered: Herein, we discuss how genomic sequencing strategies have been used in oncology to tailor targeted therapies in precision medicine programs. We highlight clinically applicable sequencing technologies, modern clinical trial designs, and novel concepts like tumor heterogeneity, liquid biopsies, and immune-oncology. Expert commentary: There remain numerous challenges to evolve precision oncology into a reality in cancer care. Improving sequencing platforms, educating technical personnel and clinicians, defining clinical utility, and exploring novel perspectives are key steps in this process.

Awareness of Precision Medicine Among Medical Students

“…Personalised medicine is using data on multiple scales, and having the ability to create a digital human mapping, with superimposed layers which include, among other things, social graphs, biosensors, imaging for anatomy description, the characteristics of various "omics" such as genomics, DNA sequencing, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and epigenomics (Morash, 2018). All these layers are wrapped in the nongenetic totality of human environment, the exposome (Araujo et al, 2016). The difference here is that precision medicine seeks to create treatments that apply to groups of individuals who meet certain characteristics (E, 2019).…”

“…Tailoring healthcare to each person's unique genetic makeup that's the promising idea behind precision medicine also variously known as individualised medicine, personalised medicine or genomic medicine (Jameson and Longo, 2015). The precision medicine initiative is a long-term research endeavour, involving the national institutes and multiple other research centres which aim to understand how a person's genetics environment and lifestyle can help to determine the best approach to prevent or treat disease (Araujo et al, 2016). Side effects of precision medicine depend on the targeted therapy drug a patient is taking.…”