AI in Personalized Medicine: Precision Healthcare Today

Artificial intelligence is merging with all possible fields in the world, and personalized medicine in healthcare is a remarkable one at that. To put it simply, AI has helped to truly unlock the potential of modern medicine.

 

The way we use AI in personalized medicine today is nothing short of amazing. 

 

Combining the computational prowess of AI with personalized medicine’s individualized approach has helped take the accuracy of patient care to a whole another level.

 

In this article, we’ll delve into the impact AI has had on personalized healthcare, including its significance, applications, and the future it holds. The history of AI in precision medicine is not too long, but it is definitely worth discussing.

If you’re not yet familiar with the term, let us tell you the personalized medicine definition. As an innovative approach to healthcare, personalized medicine uses treatment plans tailored to each individual patient instead of generalized treatments.

 

So, how does personalized medicine work in the real world?

 

With personalized medicine, treatment plans are built around a person’s genetics, lifestyle choices, environmental influences, and much more. This way, treatment plans are more targeted and effective, leading to better outcomes for each patient.

 

How much does personalized medicine cost?

 

There is a lot that goes into precision medicine, which is why the cost of personalized medicine drives up. It is also a new concept in the world, and the field probably hasn’t reached economies of scale, which is another factor contributing to its higher price.

 

In the global scheme of things, is personalized medicine expensive? 

 

The cost might be higher than usual, but this area of healthcare justifies itself with the amount of value it brings to the table. If you’d pay more for a better product in the grocery store, it makes sense that you should also pay more for a better quality of healthcare.

 

Why is precision medicine important?

 

Personalized medicine is sometimes called precision medicine, which is very closely related. The reason why these are such important advancements in medicine is that they take healthcare to a customized rather than a “one-size-fits-all” approach.

After understanding how personalized medicine works on its own, let’s now introduce AI into the mix. The role of artificial intelligence in precision medicine is transformative, to say the least. 

 

AI thrives on data analysis and pattern recognition, which is integral to the vast amounts of data that personalized medicine brings to healthcare. AI algorithms deal with this data not only accurately but also quickly. 

 

Compared to humans, artificial intelligence systems are not affected by human error. Instead, they systematically detect anomalies and relationships within datasets that fuel the agenda of precision medicine.

 

In the real world, AI algorithms analyze a patient’s genetic data, disease histories, and treatment responses to help healthcare providers in the decision-making process.

 

Ultimately, clinicians are empowered to make more informed decisions and provide patients with more personalized treatment plans, all resulting in better patient care. That’s how AI works in precision medicine.

With the plethora of applications that AI-powered precision medicine has in healthcare, diagnostics is one of the most important ones. This is where we truly get to see the many benefits of precision medicine, including the improved accuracy of detecting diseases.

 

Better disease detection accuracy is the gateway to timely interventions and more successful treatment outcomes altogether. 

 

Since AI gives healthcare the power to identify the subtlest of patterns in patient data, advancements we need in personalized medicine can finally become a reality.

 

Here are just a couple more advantages we’ll take through the convergence of AI and personalized medicine in diagnostics.

 

Assessments become more objective and accurate

 

While humans might be subjective or be subjected to human error during diagnostics, AI algorithms don’t perform the way humans do. They don’t get tired, they don’t get stressed, and instead, they are consistent and highly accurate.

 

Ultimately, by integrating AI, personalized care, and patient data into one, we can get better assessments based on any individual’s specific genes and characteristics.

 

Misdiagnosis and false positives are reduced

 

Considering that medical mistakes and misdiagnoses are the 3rd leading cause of death in the US, it would make sense that we need some sort of change in the way healthcare is done.

 

Human error applies to a medical professional’s interpretation of data as well. With an AI algorithm, interpretation is more systematic, leading to more consistent outcomes. 

 

Overall, AI can help reduce misdiagnosis rates, variability, false positives or negatives, and leave us with better patient outcomes than before. AI’s ability to consistently learn and become better definitely helps in this process.

 

Proactivity becomes the status quo thanks to predictive analytics

 

Imagine a world where every patient’s medical records are saved and an AI algorithm can access it on a periodic basis. If a specific patient has a genetic predisposition to a disease, AI systems can detect this and come up with proactive and preventive solutions to this problem.

 

By tackling such issues before they manifest, AI and precision medicine help increase the efficiency of healthcare. Imagine never having to wait in line at the doctor’s office simply because you’re already treating a problem you never knew you were going to have…

 

Drug selection becomes more personalized and effective

 

Having a patient’s genetic data available at the point of care will allow medical professionals to prescribe drugs that match their characteristics. Doesn’t it make sense that you should drink the medicine that is best for your specific condition and genetic predisposition?

 

Overall, better drug prescription practices will lead to fewer side effects and improve patient care for every single person, no matter the disease they are diagnosed with.

AI and precision medicine have come together to pave the way for advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of many different diseases, and cancer is a significant one at that. 

 

The approach that we use for all types of diseases with AI in precision medicine is virtually the same. Diagnosis is more thorough, treatments are personalized, and patient outcomes are improved. When talking about AI in cancer treatment, the details shift just a little.

 

With the different mutations that cancer can have, digging deep into the genetic level of things is important, to say the least. So, when it comes to AI in cancer treatment and personalized therapies, let’s talk about a couple of ways that AI is changing the game.

 

• Genomic analysis leads to personalized treatments

 

As we’ve already discussed, the whole philosophy of personalized medicine is based on genetic data. When it comes to oncology, AI-powered genomic analysis can help us delve deeper into the genetic makeup of tumors and identify the mutations that drive their growth. 

 

Knowing the genetic makeup of cancers gives healthcare providers the information they need to personalize treatments to target certain genetic vulnerabilities for each patient.

 

• AI helps predict treatment responses

 

With AI models that are powered by an individual’s genomic data, we can predict a patient’s response to different treatments. 

 

Virtually, healthcare professionals who use AI-powered systems will be able to test various treatments and find the most effective options for each patient.

 

• Say goodbye to trial and error

 

Thanks to predictive analytics, doctors will be able to narrow down the different treatment options. Ultimately, this will eliminate the trial-and-error approach to cancer treatment that may be employed today. 

 

Say goodbye to trying multiple treatments to find the one that works best. Instead, AI can help us minimize a patient’s exposure to harmful or ineffective therapies.

 

• Optimizing treatments based on real-time patient data

 

Just as AI will be making healthcare proactive, it’ll also be making it dynamic. AI-powered systems can process patient data in real-time and understand the results of treatment. If there are any side effects, these systems vouch for treatment optimization in a dynamic way.

 

Ultimately, if we’re looking for better therapeutic outcomes, we must start being dynamic and stop using “set-it-and-forget-it” treatments

Having discussed today’s state of AI in healthcare leads us to wonder a bit more about the future of personalized medicine. Will we ever get to the point where drugs are made customary to our genetic makeup? Will we say goodbye to the “one-size-fits-all” approach of medicine anytime soon?

 

If we look at the big picture, the way we use personalized medicine today is still under development and will be experiencing major growth in and of itself. Nevertheless, if we’re projecting forward, here are some personalized medical future advancements to think about:

 

• Accelerated drug development and discovery with generative AI

 

Advancements in AI are leading to faster and more efficient drug discovery and development. Luckily for thousands of patients around the world, there are many personalized medical startups like Insilico that use generative AI to identify potential drug candidates, create them, test them, and get the drugs to market faster.

 

• The tough integration process of AI in healthcare

 

Integrating AI-powered systems into healthcare will not be an easy challenge. It must be comprehensive and all-encompassing to work. If we want existing technologies to work with new AI tech, we must think of interoperability.

 

Once AI has all the data about a patient, that is when the full potential of personalized medicine will come to fruition. From wearable devices to lifestyle habits, having a holistic view of a patient will be the fuel for AI’s decisions.

 

• Telemedicine - bigger and better

 

Telemedicine is on the way to fulfilling the prophecy of proactive healthcare at its finest. With better tech and more powerful AI, doctors will be able to analyze their patient’s data remotely, hold virtual consultations, and come up with the most optimal treatments in a matter of hours instead of days or weeks. 

 

No matter where you will be, no matter if the next in-person doctor’s appointment isn’t available for another month, telemedicine will make healthcare a well-oiled machine.

 

• The rise of healthcare virtual assistants

 

Last but not least, let’s talk about AI-powered healthcare chatbots. Aside from their potential to eliminate primary care altogether, they also have the power to simply improve patient care altogether.

 

Whether these health assistants will be offering you personalized health advice, monitoring your chronic back pain, or reminding you about taking your medication, they have immense potential.

 

One such assistant is Docus.ai, which is one of the precision medicine startups that are using human-AI collaboration to improve healthcare.

Let’s cut to the chase - healthcare chatbots deal with a vast amount of data that is simply waiting to be analyzed. If this is done in real-time, it can give these virtual healthcare assistants much more power. 

 

By asking the right questions and training AI to provide initial treatment plans personalized to each patient’s answers, Docus.ai is paving the way for your doctor to be on your device at all times.

 

Docus.ai also considers the potential inaccuracies that AI may have, which is why their platform is twofold - the second being actual doctors who verify treatment plans suggested by the AI.

 

Next time you are tempted to self-diagnose with Dr. Google, take a chance on the Docus health assistant for more reliable information.

The applications and benefits of AI in personalized medicine are too many to count on one hand. All we can say is that their synergy leaves us hopeful for an amazingly accurate and efficient future for healthcare.

 

From better diagnostics and refined cancer treatments to enhanced drug discovery and proactivity of healthcare, personalized medicine is already making waves in the world of medicine.