Keeping the Person in Personalised Healthcare

Abstract

Proponents of personalised medicine believe that the involvement of the patients, including in “risk-sharing agreements,” will result in cost savings, the use of the genetic makeup of an individual patient as the starting point will save resources and, indirectly, there will be great potential for startups and new business in many areas. But how can Europe ensure that the “person” is central stage and allow us to focus on the development of personalised medicine for his or her ultimate benefit? The EU has a clear role to play, argues the author. One way for this to happen is for the EU to focus investment in guidelines for governance. This will go a long way to ensuring that the citizen is the principal factor when it comes to utilising the new wealth of innovation in health. The citizen must always come first when innovation is harnessed.

Fighting Cancer around the World: A Framework for Action

“…Increased scientific understanding reveals ever more profound complexities in the manifestations of cancer and the mechanisms behind it. Rapidly advancing technology offers an ever-increasing range of new and potential tools to diagnose and treat in a more personalized manner, wherever the battle is joined [ 5 , 6 ]. Rising attention to and provision of public health care is leading to expanded and more sophisticated efforts for screening at-risk populations and caring for the growing numbers of survivors and the difficulties many of them face during continued monitoring and even after successful treatment [ 7 ].…”