On a planet of 7.6 billion people, it has become clear that the main threats to the human species are related to disease. Despite all the technological advances we’ve made over the decades, a virus has paralyzed our daily lives and changed our way of life. The current situation has reminded us once again that one of humanity’s great challenges is individual and collective health, a great drive to innovate and develop different solutions that allow us to generate real and sustainable change.
Linking the knowledge of different disciplines such as genomics, pharmacology and nutrition with technological advancements enables the hyper-personalization of medicine, taking health to a new level that allows us to face future global threats, such as a pandemic, from the start offer. Now, thanks to artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, we are finally finding this reality at our fingertips.
Until recently, medicine was based on generic treatments, mostly reactive, to counteract problems in our health and improve our quality of life. However, we are on the cusp of a world of hyper-personalized medicine where, through the study of our DNA, we will be able to know the probability of suffering from specific diseases, how we age, what our children will be like , what food supplements we should be consuming, and even, what kind of exercise or sport is best suited for us.
It is said that in the entire DNA of organisms, known as the genome, is their ‘manual with instructions for construction and maintenance’ which, if we know how to interpret it, could extend individual life expectancy and quality while the welfare of the species in general. By applying it to humanity, we can reduce public health problems that have been tremendously challenging to date, such as cancer or psychiatric disorders, from the source.
What initially took more than a decade and nearly $ 300 million to decipher the entire sequence of the human genome can now take up to 48 hours for a fraction of the cost: less than $ 1,000. Little by little, we will be able to democratize using these new developments to change our lives.
The scope of a hyper-personalized drug could help treat cancer before it appears, find the chemical origins of mental problems in time to get them under control, and recommend effective exercise and diet plans for each person’s characteristics. In addition, it could help fight rare diseases, namely those that less than 200,000 people are diagnosed with, as 80% of these have genetic causes.
One of the applications of this new trend in medicine is pharmacogenomics, which consists of the study and application of genetic information to get the most effective drug in the correct dose based on the composition of each individual, according to the definition of Vanessa González -Covarrubias, Leader of the Pharmacogenomics Laboratory at the National Institute of Genomic Medicine of Mexico (INMEGEN). This way, you can avoid prescribing medications that are not as effective or can have significant side effects for humans.
Advances in these trends indicate the arrival of a new era characterized by precision medicine to provide better outcomes for patients and minimize risk situations. Can you imagine how different it would be to face a pandemic in a world where each individual’s risk factors were previously known? This could lead to strategic decision-making by governments and businesses, while streamlining healing development processes.
Likewise, the integration of genetics with drugs is expected to help reduce inequality: achieving a universal health system where results do not depend on people’s purchasing power, one of the greatest challenges facing developing economies such as the Mexican one. However, like any technological advancement, it will largely depend on how we decide to use it as a species. We have the potential ahead of us to achieve or see a health utopia transform into a dystopia worthy of a science fiction movie.
The pandemic we are going through reminded us of the importance of maintenance and adequate resources for the health sector and its employees. It is time to focus our efforts on continuing to innovate and develop solutions that enable us to achieve a better future for all.
In Mexico, we have made significant progress in genomic studies, it is essential to prioritize its development as a high value added tool for the future of Mexicans’ quality of life.