THE HEALTH | JUNE , 2023

BRAIN BITES

BY DR WAEL MY MOHAMED

The term precision medicine is derived from the expectation that , with a large volume of data , we will one day be able to administer the best treatment , precisely tailored to the individual , at the appropriate time , as opposed to treating each individual the same based on their disease alone . In other words , based on your profile ( i . e ., all of your individual , contextual , biological , and clinical characteristics , etc .), healthcare professionals will not implement a standard treatment but will be able to select the optimal option for you at that moment .

Precision health incorporates all aspects of health , including not only medicine , but also prevention and public health . Within it , researchers and healthcare professionals seek the most effective means of preventing or delaying disease onset and enhancing the quality of life for those afflicted .

The incorporation of the concept of precision health into our daily lives makes this one of the most thrilling eras to live in , and it is all due to the recent advances in human thought . Instead of perceiving each scientific discipline as separate , scientists combine them all in a new method of working known as the ‘ multi-omics ’ approach .

THE USE OF BIOMARKERS

Indeed , disciplines such as the study of our genes ( genomics ), how our cells read these genes ( transcriptomics ), the proteins they produce ( proteomics ), and our metabolism ( metabolomics ), which were once viewed as unrelated , are now being ‘ combined ’ to provide us with a more comprehensive understanding of our health . Increasing use of digital technologies , enormous advances in artificial intelligence , and advancements in computational power and capacities have been crucial to this end , as they enable the analysis of vast quantities of patient and population data . With a view of our health from every conceivable angle , inside and out , we can better understand diseases and how to prevent or treat them to enhance the quality of life for those afflicted .

In precision health , using biomarkers or biological markers has also been transformative . In contrast to medical symptoms , biomarkers are objective measures of a person ’ s health or illness . They are not restricted to those indicators of health or disease that patients disclose to their doctor .

A biomarker can be measured in your blood , your voice , or even your pulse and blood pressure .

Biomarkers are increasingly used to predict , measure , monitor , diagnose , and treat diseases , as novel artificial intelligence methods make measuring and monitoring biomarkers progressively simpler . Individually , they may not provide more information than your current pulse rate or slumber pattern , but integrating them in various ways can generate enormous quantities of valuable health information for diagnostics , treatment , and research for you and the entire population .

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND PRECISION MEDICINE

Artificial Intelligence ( AI ), could improve and simplify the healthcare system by transferring human tasks to machines or by conducting tasks that are impossible for humans . AI is now ubiquitous in the realm of health .

You can find it in the hospital , where it can be used to automatically detect tumours in a scan , and in your home , where it can accurately forecast the dosage of insulin that must be administered at a given time for people with diabetes . However , AI presents numerous obstacles .

AI relies on algorithms , a set of computer-language instructions that inform a machine how to complete a mission . To train AI algorithms in the healthcare industry , we typically need a large amount of health data , also

known as Big Data , from which the machine can learn .

However , we must ensure that the data we use is of sufficient quality and diversity to account for all the potential situations algorithms may encounter in clinical practice . Despite how complex it may sound , training an AI algorithm is the easiest part of the process .

The greatest challenge is collecting sufficient high-quality data to enable the machine to accurately learn how to solve a problem . Otherwise , the algorithms will not function correctly in certain circumstances , will generate systematic errors , and will produce distorted results .

In healthcare , the majority of datasets have been collected from Caucasian males , and algorithms tend to function adequately in this population . Instead , we occasionally observe biases for females and other ethnicities simply because there is

Dr Wael MY Mohamed is with the Department of Basic Medical Science , Kulliyyah of Medicine , International Islamic University Malaysia ( IIUM ). insufficient data to train the algorithm properly .

PROPER DATA IS THE DETERMINING FACTOR

As part of their responsibilities , AI researchers must thoroughly validate and test their AI algorithms in various population groups to ensure the solution ’ s safety for all users . No one will be at risk of receiving an incorrect diagnosis or treatment because their characteristics differ from those of the population used to train the algorithm . Undoubtedly , accumulating the proper data is the determining factor between a functional and biased artificial intelligence algorithm and , thus a correct or incorrect clinical result . But where do these data originate ?

As you age , you will change your domicile , physician , and even country . Your health data , vaccination records , and even disease history will remain preserved in fragments at that doctor ’ s office or in that neglected desk receptacle .

What if , however , this were not the case ? What if all of your medical records were preserved digitally and we had the option to make them accessible to physicians and researchers ?

Could these data be used to enhance medical care ? The answer is affirmative . Nonetheless , the health sector lags in digitalisation due to an increase in complex chronic diseases and an ageing population . It lacks a comprehensive , long-term view of a patient ’ s medical history . To assist in this endeavour , precision medicine should be applied as the next generation of healthcare . – The Health