Personalized Medicine
What is Personalized Medicine?
Personalized or precision medicine is a healthcare model that customizes treatment to the needs of each patient. Traditional medicine often relies on a standard of care that is geared toward an entire patient population. For example, patients with the same symptoms may be prescribed a standard antibiotic used to eradicate a suspected infection.
One patient may respond to the antibiotic, but the other may remain symptomatic. The different outcomes occur because every patient is unique. Patient A may have one infection, but Patient B may have the same infection and a co-infection or a parasite. In the absence of highly specific and quantitative testing results, the differences between Patient A and Patient B are obscured.
Personalized medicine offers clarity. Every patient is viewed individually. Testing targets the underlying causes of patient complaints. Results allow practitioners to tailor treatment that includes information about the patient’s antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors, and genomics.
Personalized medicine is not a one-size-fits-all treatment paradigm. It is precision medicine at its best and is the future of all medicine.
Laboratory Testing Furthers the Practice of Precision Medicine
In precision medicine, each patient is observed individually. Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory testing can identify the underlying root causes of symptoms and shed insight into what antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, or pharmacogenomics will work in synergy with the patient’s unique microbiome, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and antibiotic resistance genes.
Test results provide functional medicine practitioners the tools needed to personalize treatment for optimized patient outcomes.
Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory Offers Testing Options that Facilitate the Practice of Personalized Medicine
GI-MAP™ – GI Microbial Assay Plus
DNA Stool Analysis by qPCR
The GI-MAP is a comprehensive stool analysis that looks at DNA and uses quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) technology to evaluate gut pathogens, bacterial infections, viruses, and parasites. The GI-MAP also reports on antibiotic resistance and virulence factors, helping to take the guesswork out of treatment. The gut is highly complex; and, the GI-MAP optimizes the practitioner’s ability to practice personalized, precision medicine by reporting on the specific DNA findings within a patient’s microbiome.
GenomicInsight ® – Powered by Opus23 Explorer™
The Science of Precision Medicine
GenomicInsight is a clinical DNA test that analyzes single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). GenomicInsight allows practitioners to take personalized medicine and precision medicine to the next level. Curated reports identify what disease risks a patient may have, what nutraceutical or pharmacological drugs their genome will best react to, and what lifestyle factors can help prevent a harmful gene from expressing itself.
OMX ™ – Organic Metabolomics
An Advanced Organic Acids and Amino Acids Profile
OMX™ metabolomic testing goes beyond traditional organic acid testing. OMX characterizes metabolic phenotypes by presenting analytes in pathway categories to more easily identify metabolomic deviations that can underlie—and even precede—disease. Metabolic analysis can help clinicians evaluate the function of key pathways to better target support.
CytoDx® – Cytokine Response Profile
Assess Systemic Immune Status
The CytoDx Panel evaluates cytokines, which are key mediators in many immune responses. Studies indicate that cytokine imbalance plays a key role in chronic inflammation and autoimmune disease. Autoimmune conditions are prevalent throughout the world. Evaluation of the cytokine response can help practitioners assess immune status and personalize medicine by linking the critical gut-immune connection.
H. pylori Panel
Definitive Results from One Stool Sample
Personalized medicine is not just for functional or integrative medicine practitioners. Gastroenterologists also rely on the accuracy and precision of DNA technology when diagnosing patients. The H. pylori Panel provides definitive results from one stool sample. The H. pylori Panel also relies on qPCR technology and identifies H. pylori infections using DNA testing.
Pathogens Panel (Stool)
Identify Pathogenic Organisms with DNA qPCR Stool Analysis
The Pathogens Panel uses the same DNA/qPCR technology as the GI-MAP to measure symptom-inducing gut infections, including bacterial and parasitic infections. If you suspect your patient is suffering from an acute or chronic gut infection (bacterial, parasitic, or viral), the Pathogens Panel will identify the specific infection so you can target personalized treatment protocols geared toward infection resolution.
Personalized Medicine – Looking Ahead
Patients are becoming more involved in their own healthcare. They are learning about the power of personalized medicine. Our goal is to arm you with the testing you need to further your personalized medicine practice and meet your patients needs.
Looking ahead, you can expect us to continue to forge ahead in the field of personalized medicine.
We hear from practitioners every day about how precision medicine based on reliable laboratory testing changes patient outcomes. You can rely on us to press on and offer new and enhanced testing tools that further our shared passion for personalized medicine.