precision medicine

noun

plural precision medicines

: a branch of medicine concerned with developing therapies targeted to individuals or particular groups based on their unique genetic, molecular, or phenotypic characteristics

Pharmacogenomics is an emerging field at the heart of precision medicine that uses a person's genetic information to help guide drug selection and dose.

—Charis Eng et al.

Although precision medicine might make sense for people with certain conditions that are difficult and expensive to treat, such as autoimmune diseases, critics argue that on the whole, simpler approaches to treating disease are better because they cost less and benefit far more patients.

—Jeneen Interlandi

also : a therapy developed in this manner

The company's immediate focus is to build a registry that will collect the genetic data of kidney disease patients and use it to discover mutations and molecular drivers of the disease that can be treated with precision medicines.

—Robert Weisman

called also personalized medicine

Examples of precision medicine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The company leverages its extensive research capabilities and strategic collaborations to build a diverse pipeline of precision medicines. —Joe Cornell, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025

Two of the presenters study psychedelics, and several others spoke about their work at the cutting edge of precision medicine. —Grace Huckins, Robb Report, 20 Jan. 2025

The company is focused on precision medicine approaches and has several compounds in different stages of clinical trials. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 23 Dec. 2024

These hubs focus on a broad range of strategic sectors, including critical materials, sustainable polymers, precision medicine and medical devices. —Mark Zachary Taylor, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1992, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

precision medicine

noun

: a branch of medicine concerned with developing therapies targeted to individuals or particular groups based on their unique genetic, molecular, or phenotypic characteristics

also : a therapy developed in this manner

More than one-quarter (27%) of all new approvals are precision medicines. They rely on biomarker and genetic data to identify a far more targeted patient subpopulation that has a much higher likelihood of responding to a new treatment safely and effectively.

—Ken Getz, Applied Clinical Trials

called also personalized medicine