Dr. Pavan Asalapuram, Co-Founder, Empe Diagnostics
The task to provide improved and more personalised healthcare for patients across the
globe is one that researchers have given priority attention in recent years. With the
proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, the emergence of precision
medicine has become much more viable. Generally, there’s so much that AI does in
healthcare, including making up for human flaws, such as fatigue and loss of attention
and focus. It augments the care that specialists provide and offers immense opportunities
in healthcare.
AI helps researchers generate better insights using superior computation and augmented
intelligence, and makes it easy for clinicians to make better decisions because of better
and quicker information. The AI in healthcare market was valued at $15.4 billion in
2022, with projections suggesting a CAGR of 37.5% until 2030. In India, AI is gradually
making inroads in the healthcare sector, and one of its major milestones is its increasing
role in precision medicine.
Precision Medicine and the place of AI
According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, precision medicine refers
to an innovative approach that uses information from the genomic, environmental and
lifestyle data of an individual to make decisions relating to their medical management.
This reliance on data and information is where AI and machine learning come into the
picture, using algorithms to determine specific genomic information and lifestyle choices
to tell what kinds of treatment is best for an individual.
Precision medicine is also largely known as personalized care, because it debunks the
practice of using one-size-fits-all methods to treat different individuals. Precision
medicine relies on large data sets; meaning that previous health records and data of
individuals must have been stored electronically for it to be processed and used to make
more precise decisions on how to prevent, diagnose, and manage diseases for specific
individuals.
Using big data analytics, AI helps advance the course of precision medicine by helping to
promote disease prevention, personalized diagnosis, and personalized treatment. Every
human is unique, and by having access to their genome, health practitioners will
understand how the specific human body interacts with diseases and pathogens, as
different from that of another person. Hence, such an individual can be told what specific
lifestyle changes to make, and what specific medicines to take, in order to properly
prevent or manage diseases.
Furthermore, AI eliminates the practice of using guesswork and estimates, by probing
and explicitly identifying all abnormalities based on data from their DNA, personal
medical history, and family medical history. Hence, the possibility of error is reduced
drastically and healthcare becomes more personal.
Towards better personalized healthcare for all
Precision medicine is an approach that employs “micro targeting” towards healthcare
provision. Although it has been around for decades, the application of AI has added
impetus to its delivery. It is important to note that tools like predictive analytics, deep
learning technologies, content analytics, and language processing tools are becoming ever
more relevant in healthcare, especially with regards to diagnosing underlying conditions
early enough for successful treatment.
