Sergey Suchkov

Abstract

A new and upgraded approach to the diseased states and wellness, and to re-shape tomorrow’s healthcare whilst doing it today, resulted in a new global trend in the healthcare services, namely, Personalized and Precision Medicine (PPM). PPM as a Unique Entity demonstrating an integration of Fundamental, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Biodesign-driven BioTech, Translational ART and IT Armamentarium, is based on the new developmental strategy driven by Biomarkers- and Biotargeting-related biomachines. It would be extremely useful to integrate data harvesting from different databanks for applications such as pre-early predictive diagnostics, precise prognostication and personalization of further treatment to provide more tailored measures for the diseases bodies and persons-at-risk resulting in improved outcomes and more cost effective use of the latest health care resources.

PPM as being the Grand Challenge to forecast, to predict and to prevent is rooted in a big and a new SCIENCE generated by the achievements of (i) Systems & Synthetic Biology; (ii) Biodesign-driven Translational

applications and Biotech-driven Biomanufacturing; (iii) Bioindustry and Biomarketing of the next step generation. The latter, being a Grand Brick laid into the frame of National Bioeconomy, says and confirms that the efficiency and efficacy of the Bioeconomy are determined and dictated by the innovative trends,generated by fresh knowledge and their transfer into the scientific, bioindustrial and social areas to maintain the national stability and extensive development of the country.

The core strategic tool to operate the transdisciplinary approach is rooted in a unique tandem consisting of (i) integrated platforms of Fundamental Sciences (Basics) and innovative OMICs biotechnologies on one hand, and (ii) the algorithms of Bioinformatics, on the other one.

The importance of PPM in the healthcare management is well-documented. Advances in genomics and computing are transforming the capacity for the characterization of biological systems, and researchers are now poised for a precision-focused transformation in the way they prepare for, and respond to, infectious diseases. But still, very little is known about the role of precision genomics and immunogenetics in susceptibility or resistance to infectious diseases. Despite being a forerunner, PPM is not yet routinely applied in infectious patient care.

Meanwhile, new technologies are supporting the rapid identification of infective agents and targeted approaches based on the genetic resistance of pathogens to antibiotics. For instance, recent technological advances have enabled the development of antimicrobials that can selectively target a gene, a cellular process, or a microbe of choice. These strategies bring us a step closer to developing personalized therapies that exclusively remove disease-causing infectious agents. This information can lead to revising the data banks that can be used for personalized predicting diseases, improving PPM-driven treatment, personalized prevention strategies specific to infectious pathogens.

PPM-driven management of infectious diseases plays a critical role in trust for government, health-care organizations, science, and pharma. The improvement in biomedical technologies, availability of large clinical and OMICS data and appropriate application of applied bioinformatics-related algorithms may allow precision in vaccines and public health and restore trust. For this scope, the next step education is a crucial step for the successful implementation of PPM in the clinic, and with this part, we would like to encourage learning about PPM and the impact in the communicable (including infectious) disease field.

Infectious disease management essentially consists in identifying the microbial cause(s) of an infection, initiating if necessary antimicrobial therapy, and controlling host reactions to infection. In canonical (PPM-ignored) clinical microbiology, the turnaround time of the diagnostic cycle (>24 hours) often leads to unnecessary suffering and deaths; approaches to relieve this burden include rapid diagnostic procedures and more efficient transmission or interpretation of molecular microbiology results. The implementation of point-of-care testing for infectious diseases will require acceptance by medical authorities, new technological and communication platforms, as well as reimbursement practices such that time- and life-saving procedures become available to the largest number of patients.

PPM has indeed arrived for the diagnosis of infectious diseases. More than that, it has arrived for all in the areas of clinical microbiology, molecular epidemiology and many other areas. With the current capabilities, cost, and speed of sequencing technologies, the field has finally reached a point where rapid genomic surveillance and analysis can start to become a standard part of the response to infectious disease outbreaks. Just as broad scale human genome sequencing revolutionized the treatment of many non-communicable diseases, pathogen genome data are poised to drive a similar revolution in the response to infectious diseases.

Healthcare is undergoing a transformation, and it is imperative to leverage new technologies to support the advent of PPM. This is the reason for developing global scientific, clinical, social, and educational projects in the area of PPM and TraMed to elicit the content of the new trend. The latter would provide a unique platform for dialogue and collaboration among thought stakeholders in government, academia, industry, foundations, and disease and patient advocacy with an interest in improving the system of healthcare delivery on one hand and drug discovery, development, and translation, on the other one, whilst educating the policy community about issues where biomedical science and policy intersect.