At Qassim Medical College, research on precision medicine is facilitating optimised patient care and personalised treatment programmes
Historically, Western medicine has operated by looking at a disease and the response that it engenders in patients. In recent times, a paradigm shift has occurred where medical professionals have begun exploring the factors that trigger different pain responses in patients.
Advances in precision medicine have enabled healthcare professionals to optimise care through genetic or molecular profiling. Conducting pioneering research in this area is Ahmad Almeman, professor of clinical pharmacy at the College of Medicine at Qassim University.
“Precision medicine takes a deeper look at what triggers the pain response in each individual,” Almeman says. “We make observations at a cellular level, which have told us why, for example, some people feel more pain than others. In response to this, we have been able to optimise painkillers for the individual and advance the treatment of complex diseases.”
These complex diseases include difficult-to-treat conditions like cancer. Precision medicine has enabled scientists to see why one person’s experience with cancer differs from that of another. It has also helped doctors tailor medication and better understand why some pathogens develop resistance to certain treatments, says Almeman.
“Research into precision medicine has resulted in various real-world impacts,” Almeman continues. “This has included tailoring drugs to individual patients and crafting the best course of treatment for patients with substance use disorders. Addiction is seen across the globe and has broad societal impacts. Using pharmacogenomics, which studies the role of genes in how a person responds to drugs, precision medicine can tackle addiction more effectively.”
Other real-world impacts that have emerged as a result of precision medicine research include progress in identifying the causes of neonatal and hereditary diseases, dermatological conditions, Alzheimer’s disease and certain types of cancer.
“In each country, precision medicine is leading to new discoveries on a range of genetic issues,” explains Almeman. “These discoveries help to direct investment appropriately for the optimisation of patient life expectancy.”
However, these discoveries are not made in isolation. Collaboration is essential – between university departments, higher education institutions and government bodies. “When exploring genetics, it is impossible to make progress alone. Momentum within the field is huge, but every two to three years there is a substantial shift,” Almeman says. “It is impossible to look at all the genetic discoveries being made across the world, so collaboration is essential to finding new insights.”
“At Qassim University, we have worked with institutions from a broad geographic base, including the US, the UK and China, to gather a more holistic view of developments the world over,” Almeman says. Qassim University’s research into precision medicine receives support from various funding sources, including the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, the King Abdulaziz Medical City and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health.
“This financial backing is helping us to push forward in the precision medicine field and implement various plans for the future,” Almeman adds. “These plans include cementing the marriage between technology and genetics. We have already started simulations in this area that are of clinical significance. We want to continue providing services and products relating to genetics – not just conducting research. That is the way we will ensure that precision medicine continues to deliver real-world impact that benefits patients’ lives.”
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