Does personalized medicine personalize the person?
Personalized medicine is an umbrella of molecular labels that still presupposes a particular concept of the person; judging its success means stepping outside advocate-versus-cynic talk.
Source
The impact of twenty-first century personalized medicine versus twenty-first century medicine's impact on personalization
What they did
The authors map aliases (molecular, pharmacogenetic, stratified, precision), list epistemic and ethical questions including whether it is a paradigm shift, and argue that promising to personalize care already assumes what a person is.
What they found
There is little effective unity under the umbrella. Privacy challenges arise. Assessment has to leave the ardent-advocate versus cynical-critic dichotomy. Personalized medicine’s impact on personalization is the real issue, not the slogan.
The limits
What it doesn't show
This is conceptual, not a trial of a companion diagnostic. It does not measure how often ‘precision’ drugs work.
Key terms
- Personalized medicine
- An umbrella (also precision, stratified, pharmacogenetic) promising care tailored to the individual.
- Concept of person
- What must already be assumed if medicine claims to personalize healthcare.
- Advocate/critic dichotomy
- A polarised public debate the authors say blocks assessment of actual personalizing impact.
- Paradigm-shift question
- Whether the umbrella is a true scientific revolution or a marketing cluster.
Flashcards
Research intelligence for this paper
See its role on concept claims, tensions it is part of, placement history, and related discoveries.
Quiz yourself
Personalized medicine is?
Common questions
Is it one field?
No. At least a dozen labels cover heterogeneous approaches.
What does the slogan assume?
A particular understanding of the person.
How to assess it?
Step outside ardent advocates versus cynical critics.
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