precision medicine

noun

plural precision medicines

: a branch of medicine concerned with developing therapies targeted to individuals or particular groups based on their unique genetic, molecular, or phenotypic characteristics

Pharmacogenomics is an emerging field at the heart of precision medicine that uses a person's genetic information to help guide drug selection and dose.

—Charis Eng et al.

Although precision medicine might make sense for people with certain conditions that are difficult and expensive to treat, such as autoimmune diseases, critics argue that on the whole, simpler approaches to treating disease are better because they cost less and benefit far more patients.

—Jeneen Interlandi

also : a therapy developed in this manner

The company's immediate focus is to build a registry that will collect the genetic data of kidney disease patients and use it to discover mutations and molecular drivers of the disease that can be treated with precision medicines.

—Robert Weisman

called also personalized medicine

Examples of precision medicine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The center also offers precision medicine, which refers to the practice of taking an individual patient's genes, environment, and lifestyle into consideration while providing treatment. —Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 9 Oct. 2024

Weldon’s goal is to utilize the power of precision medicine, which emphasizes tailoring healthcare specifically to individual patients based on their unique genetic profiles, lifestyles and other factors. —Melissa Noel, Essence, 16 Sep. 2024

By the numbers: Notable closures among health care and life sciences venture funds were: Amplitude Ventures closed its second fund in May at C$263 million focused on precision medicine. —Natalie Breymeyer, Axios, 3 Sep. 2024

With imatinib's success, targeted cancer therapies—aka precision medicine—took off. —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 5 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

precision medicine

noun

: a branch of medicine concerned with developing therapies targeted to individuals or particular groups based on their unique genetic, molecular, or phenotypic characteristics

also : a therapy developed in this manner

More than one-quarter (27%) of all new approvals are precision medicines. They rely on biomarker and genetic data to identify a far more targeted patient subpopulation that has a much higher likelihood of responding to a new treatment safely and effectively.

—Ken Getz, Applied Clinical Trials

called also personalized medicine