Personalised medicine. Precision medicine. Individualised medicine. Customised medicine. Targeted medicine. Even bespoke medicine! All buzzwords of recent years that equally excite, confuse and infuriate the public, researchers and healthcare professionals. What does it all mean, and why should you care?
Broadly speaking, these terms all refer to the idea of tailoring treatment to individual patients based on their genetic code. But is this actually happening, and what are the consequences of this shift in thinking?
The last 10 years have yielded significant and rapid advances in our understanding of the human genome. The impact on human health and clinical practice is already being widely felt.
This course will discuss both the benefits and controversies surrounding the genetic revolution as it relates to modern medicine and its impact on society. The promise of personalised medicine will likely yield significant benefits for patients, yet raises a number of serious ethical and legal issues for health professionals, patients and the community.
You will learn how genetic testing is currently used to guide treatment across diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and mental health, and infectious disease. You will also explore the power of genetics to impact disease prevention and diagnosis, and the social, legal, political and ethical implications of this new knowledge.