The $215 million Precision Medicine Initiative, a nationwide push to personalize medicine using genomic information and environmental factors, is based on data collection and analytics. Dr. Collins wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine that the proliferation of new technologies, particularly social media and mobile technologies, makes this possible. However, he urged the administration to set aside specific funding and resources for the initiative rather than drawing from other programs to ensure that it does not lose funding in a tight fiscal climate.
He wrote the first appplication of precision medicine is in oncology, followed by using its for more accurate assessment of disease risk. Pilot studies will test the data collection and bioinformatics tools for the program, and the opportunity will likely spur innovation in the mobile technology and data management fields to meet the program’s needs, he wrote.
“With sufficient resources and a strong, sustained commitment of time, energy and ingenuity from the scientific, medical and patient communities, the full potential of precision medicine can ultimately be realized to give everyone the best chance at good health,” Dr. Collins wrote.
