Breakthroughs in Clinical Diagnostics Create New Opportunities for Precision Medicine

The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

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Precision medicine, a relatively new approach in modern healthcare industry, which combines biological research, genetic data and advanced technology to help doctors create individualized treatment plans and medical advice based on each patient’s genetic background, environment and lifestyle. The key drivers making such a precision approach to healthcare possible are the exciting breakthroughs in clinical diagnostics. 

Pharmacogenomics Enables Data-Driven Medication Plans

With the rise of pharmacogenomics, a new research field that uses genetic data to predict drug response, doctors won’t have to guess and tinker until they find the right drug and dosage. Now, clinicians can make data-driven decisions based on a patients’ genetics, medical history and lifestyle to select the drug that will provide the greatest benefit with the least severe side effects for that particular patient.

On the research side, pharmacogenomics enables the development of new medications based on these insights. One of the most significant milestones to date is a breakthrough in clinical understanding of opioid metabolization. Doctors have long known that patients respond differently to pain medications, which makes administering the correct dose of anesthesia before surgery or prescribing safe doses of pain medication during recovery difficult.

The discovery of the CYP2D6 enzyme has helped address this problem. Certain opioids are broken down by this particular enzyme in the body. However, some patients, especially those with a European background, have poor CYP2D6 metabolizers while others have especially rapid metabolizers.

For those patients with poor metabolizers, standard doses of these opioids won’t provide the same level of pain relief as they do for patients with better metabolizers. For patients with rapid CYP2D6 metabolizers, standard doses could be excessive, creating the potential for unwanted side effects. Armed with this information, doctors can now better predict how a particular patient will respond and what dose to administer.

The Discovery of New Biomarkers Replace One-Size-Fits-All Diagnostics

Researchers are also gaining new insights into the role that genetics play not only in what diseases a patient is most at risk for but also in how that patient might respond to certain treatments. Because of this, we’re seeing an end to the one-size-fits-all approach to healthcare.

In its place, researchers are working toward a more dynamic, personalized approach where diagnostic tools can use unique biomarkers in a patient’s DNA to help doctors determine the best treatment plan for that patient.

The BRCA1/2 genes are one of the most well-known examples of the potential for biomarker identification in diagnostics and treatment planning. The BRCA1/2 genes play an important role in tumor suppression. Some patients have these deregulated genes, which not only increases their risk for developing breast cancer but can also decrease their chances of successfully treating it. 

Since this discovery, doctors can now run diagnostics that test for BRCA1/2 gene deregulation to advise patients who are at risk or better evaluate the best treatment options in patients who already have breast cancer. On the treatment side, this discovery has led to the development of new drugs aimed specifically at treating BRCA1/2 mutated cancers.

Rapid Developments in Diagnostics Present New Challenges to Researchers

As research continues to reveal the potential for biomarkers and genetic data in developing more precision diagnostics and treatments, the need for fast access to a diverse pool of biospecimens with a rich record of clinical data is becoming more urgent. 

That’s where biobanks like Audubon Bioscience come in. Biobanks collect, store and distribute biospecimens like blood, saliva and human tissue that researchers use in groundbreaking studies like the ones mentioned earlier. 

However, the current biobanking landscape is highly fragmented. Researchers who need samples with specific demographic backgrounds or particular diseases will often find their research delayed while they look for a biobank that serves that specific niche.

Audubon Bioscience aims to remove this roadblock by offering a large database of biospecimens meeting a variety of specific criteria. Currently, the biobank operates over 100 clinical sites across 12 countries, offering an enormous range of genetically diverse biospecimens, all with extensive clinical data including imaging data, pathology reports, treatment data and biomarker testing. 

With quick and convenient access to this range of biospecimens, clinical researchers can continue making groundbreaking discoveries that advance diagnostics and treatment options for patients around the world.

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.