LOS ANGELES (Oct. 10, 2016) -- Cedars-Sinai has awarded nearly $700,000 to scientists developing new treatments and technologies -- such as advanced genetic profiling and biomedical sensors that can be worn at home -- to deliver individualized healthcare to patients.
The awards are part of a Cedars-Sinai campaign to transform its practice of medicine by harnessing advanced data on individuals' specific genes, proteins, microbiome (bacterial communities) and other body chemistry, with the goal of tailoring therapies and medications for specific patients.
Using this approach, patients one day might receive treatments as unique as their own fingerprints, based on tests that reveal their molecular makeups.
"Our goal is to drive the development of the newest technology and best research, coupled to the finest clinical practice, to rapidly deliver precise and personalized healthcare solutions," said Dermot McGovern, MD, PhD, FRCP(Lon), professor of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and director of the campaign, known as Cedars-Sinai Precision Health.
The institutionwide effort is a partnership among scientists, clinicians and industry. The eight projects selected for funding deploy sophisticated technologies, including individualized genetic and protein profiling, high-speed culturing of bacteria, next-generation ultrasound and mobile biosensors. Using these high-tech tools, researchers are striving to forge new prevention strategies and treatments for a range of diseases and conditions, including heart disease, cancer and gastrointestinal disorders.
"Cedars-Sinai Precision Health is going to fundamentally change the way we practice medicine," said McGovern, the Joshua L. and Lisa Z. Greer Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics.
As one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the U.S., Cedars-Sinai is in a strong position to advance this work. Its cadre of scientists, led by 350 principal investigators, is currently conducting about 1,500 bioscience studies.
While many institutions are pursuing precision healthcare strategies, Cedars-Sinai is especially suited to advance the promise of this medical revolution.
"Cedars-Sinai's flexible organizational structure, combined with its research talent and large-scale, high-quality healthcare delivery operation, make it well-qualified to achieve national prominence in the delivery of precise health solutions," said Shlomo Melmed, MD, executive vice president, Academic Affairs, and dean of the medical faculty at Cedars-Sinai. "With Cedars-Sinai Precision Health, we plan to lead the way to the newest frontier of medicine."
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