Personalized medicine, or a model of working with patients that involves adapting medical decisions, practices and drugs in accordance with the individual characteristics of each individual patient, awaits both doctors and patients in the near future. The participants of the round table “The transition to personalized medicine – myth or reality” which took place as part of the St. Petersburg International Health Forum at the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Center, are confident of this.

As the rector of the Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education Dmitry Sychev said, the principles and techniques of personalized medicine have been used for at least 20 years, in particular pharmacogenetics, one of the main functions of which is the selection of the most suitable drug. According to Dmitry Sychev, it is most actively used in oncology, where more than 30 selection algorithms have already been formulated. Psychiatry is in the second place, and cardiology is in the third one. Moreover, more than 50% of doctors already understand what pharmacogenetics is.

Personalized medicine allows for better treatment. For example, typing a breast tumour makes it possible to administer chemotherapy more effectively in case of a breast tumour. This practice can reduce the need to take toxic medications by 43%, said Aleksandra Konradi, the Deputy General Director for Scientific Work of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Almazov National Medical Research Center” of the Ministry of Health of Russia, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. She emphasized that society needs to reassess the concept of evidence-based medicine, and shared a forecast according to which the global market for personalized medicine products will more than double over 10 years, from $326 billion to $690.5 billion.

Director of the Institute of the Almazov Medical Education Center, Elena Parmon, noted that personalized medicine has gained recognition in the educational environment both in Russia and abroad. Among the universities having relevant programs are Yale School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Sechenov Moscow State Medical University, Almazov National Medical Research Center, National Medical Research Center of Endocrinology and others. “Optimal implementation of personalized medicine requires leaders in this field to possess skills that were not previously required. Today's training programs must help to prepare trainees to meet these needs. It is necessary to develop common approaches to personnel training, create professional and educational standards, and popularize personalized medicine at the country level in order to form future leaders,” said Elena Parmon.

Natalia Mokrysheva, head of the Department of Personalized and Translational Medicine of the State Research Center of the Russian Federation, Federal State Budgetary Institution “National Medical Research Center for Endocrinology” of the Russian Ministry of Health, spoke on the experience of her institution working with business: together with a private enterprise, a dosimeter was created that allows you to assess the actual level of radiation exposure in the treatment of thyrotoxicosis. Natalia Mokrysheva believes that the scientific community and business should meet each other halfway, and strategic state planning for 3–5–10 years can help with this.
The round table is one of QuantoriUM's Young Medicine events. QuantoriUM Young Medicine takes place from October 4 to 6 as part of the XI St. Petersburg International Health Forum. The organizer of QuantoriUM is the ANO SoBytie with the support of the Committee on Youth Policy and Interaction with Public Organizations.