The Personal Side Of Personalized Medicine

The stories of Adriana Jenkins and Marty Tenenbaum make a compelling case for the need to develop more targeted drug treatments. But no matter how sophisticated the treatments, their unique stories remind me that care must be delivered with a personal touch, by compassionate and caring clinicians.

Adriana Jenkins, a Boston area public relations professional, died of breast cancer last week at age 41. Soon after her initial diagnosis she participated in a clinical trial studying Herceptin, a drug targeted at a specific cancer mutation. Though her cancer eventually returned, she reflected that personalized medicine had extended her life by at least nine years. In her article, A Dying Wish, Adriana suggested that lawmakers create a law which encourages pharmaceutical firms to develop personalized drugs through incentives such as fast track regulatory review and patent protection.

Cancer survivor Marty Tenenbaum isn't waiting for lawmakers. He's taking on the crusade for personalized medicines himself. In January 2011,Tenenbaum a former e-commerce entrepreneur, launched an online community called Cancer Commons. The online community brings together physicians, patients and scientists so that they can collaborate in creating personalized therapies for patients. Cancer Commons grew out of Tenenbaum's frustration in finding the best course of treatment for his own cancer diagnosis in the late 1990s. He envisions Cancer Commons as a way for other cancer patients to received the same personalized treatment that he did.

The speed at which personalized treatments are developed and introduced will depend on larger issues such as government regulation and improved scientific collaboration. But there's nothing holding us back from personalizing care for all patients, beginning today.

How do you personalize patient care?