Report on personalised medicine technologies launched today

University of Cambridge health policy think tank publishes report analysing the new technologies that could help deliver on the promise of personalised healthcare for the National Health Service in the near future.

As the National Health Service marks its 70^th anniversary it can boast of a rich history of innovation. Over the years scientific and technological advances have transformed medical practice across numerous disciplines. The recent convergence of technologies such as genomics and informatics presents significant opportunities to drive improvements to patient care through technologically advanced and personalised healthcare.

NHS England’s 2014 Five Year Forward View recognised this potential and set out plans to develop personalised medicine, and the 2015 report, Improving Outcomes through Personalised Medicine set out NHS England’s vision for the future of healthcare in the NHS.

This latest report by PHG Foundation for NHS England, The personalised medicine technology landscape presents an independent evidence synthesis to inform the NHS as it continues to develop its approaches and policies to support the delivery of increasingly personalised medicine, through the implementation of advanced medical technologies.

The personalised medicine technology landscape executive summary and full report are available to read online or download here.

The report looks at the healthcare applications of a range of genomic and ‘omics technologies, from pharmacogenomics to liquid biopsy and transcriptomics. It also goes further to evaluate the prospects for a host of other technologies with the potential to personalise healthcare, from advanced image analysis and wearables to 3D printing and regenerative medicine.

Informed by a process of extensive research and analysis and produced in consultation with relevant experts and stakeholders this report:

• Reviews the biomedical and digital technologies that could contribute to the personalisation of medicine
• Identifies and describes examples of technologies that could be used to underpin the delivery of personalised medicine within the next three years
• Analyse how such approaches could be integrated most effectively within the NHS
• Highlights key considerations for NHS England to develop and deliver personalised medicine

Professor Dame Sue Hill, (Chief Scientific Officer, and SRO for Genomics, NHS England), wrote in the foreword to the PHG Foundation Report: “This evidence synthesis by the respected policy analysts at the PHG Foundation provides important insights as to how to take this vision forward and the issues we will face in implementation.”

Speaking about the report, PHG Foundation Director, Mark Kroese said that “we believe that new innovations offer unprecedented opportunities for better and more personalised healthcare, and are delighted to have been asked by NHS England to produce this review, which highlights the breadth of technologies that can be used to improve patient care.”