JEKATERINA KALINIENE

Head of Life Sciences, Innovation Agency Lithuania, Vilnius, Lithuania

Abstract

Universalised healthcare may soon be outdated as advancements in genomics, bioinformatics, and related fields are changing the face of medicine. Moving from a one-size-fits-all approach to personalised care offers major benefits, like better treatment effectiveness and cost savings by tailoring interventions to individual genetic profiles. Although there are challenges, such as needing specialised infrastructure, funding, and navigating regulations, personalised medicine has the potential to improve preventive care, optimise treatments, and create a more efficient healthcare system.

It is 2038. You browse online pharmacy, you are kindly asked to scan a QR code and share your electronic health record including your prescription and your whole genome sequencing of course. It takes seconds for the algorithm to analyze all that data and suggest the pharmacist immediately which drug or supplement would be the most effective for you along with the precise dosage. At this moment, it may sound like a utopian future, but how far is the world actually from this scenario?
Does one size still fits all?
A one-size-fits-all approach usually doesn’t work, especially for complex systems like humans, which are influenced by genetics and the environment. However, when it comes to our health, we often have to rely on general methods and formulas created by modern medicine.
This type of healthcare may soon be outdated, as breakthrough in fields like genomics, bioinformatics, proteomics, and metabolomics are transforming medicine and leading us into a new era of personalised care.

SCIENCE IS A GAME CHANGER

Each time you go to a doctor you have your medical record updated. I ...