Ever wonder how it takes you a week to get rid of a cold but somehow your friend gets over it within three days? It is not just pure luck but a testament to how differently each individual’s body systems tackle and respond to illness. This “uniqueness” or “idiosynkrasia” arising from genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors translates into our body’s response to the clinical treatment for a disease, be it a simple cold or a life-altering condition such as cancer.

The idea of “Precision biotherapeutics” stems from the effects of the complex biological diversity among humans. Though this vision is not novel, it is mostly blurred in conventional medicine where the aim is to develop a treatment that fits the general population. This non-specific approach reveals its shortcomings on a patient level in the forms of prolonged therapy, limited effectiveness and most of all, side effects – the bane of clinical treatment.

Precision biotherapeutics intends to tackle this weak bone of medicine by developing a system that facilitates “tailor-made” medical care for each individual by incorporating the distinctive traits of their body. Personalised medical care will significantly improve prevention, diagnosis and prognosis. Early detection and management paired with a short, low side effect and effective treatment regimen will improve patient satisfaction and experience. One may say that precision biotherapeutics is the door to a utopian healthcare system that has been desired since the advent of medicine itself!

Despite its promising nature, the transition from theory to practice is ridden with financial, technical and ethical hurdles. A vast medical and bioinformatic infrastructure is required to deliver the potential of precision biotherapeutics. This ranges from Pharmacogenetic research to large-scale clinical trials and big data management while upholding ethical aspects such as patient privacy. The funding required to establish and operate this system along with the accessibility of these services to the general public is a whole other discussion with many challenges.

The Human Genome Project (2003) and the All of Us Research Program (started in 2015) are significant developmental milestones in this area. The findings of these projects have provided a scaffold to build upon. At present, precision biotherapeutics exist widely in cancer therapy. The extent of surgical interventions, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are determined by assessing the patient’s medical profile. Naturally, this is one of the reasons for the monumental expense of cancer therapy. Nonetheless, consistent efforts are being made to extrapolate this system to other chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

The introduction of AI in the medical field provides essential tools that will improve the quality of data management and analysis, hence boosting progress in the coming years. Precision biotherapeutics has the potential to revolutionise healthcare as we know it. This exciting area of research must be tapped into early by ensuring proper planning and efficient execution. With consistent study and research, we can discover novel perspectives that will push the boundaries of medical science research and ultimately improve the quality of life.

Sanjana Somashekar

University/College name : Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women