Precision medicine is here to stay, says diabetes expert
CHENNAI, MARCH 15, 2019 00:00 IST
‘A scientific approach will ensure quality of life’
Diabetes may be all about irregular glucose levels but every person with the condition could respond differently to commonly prescribed medicines. A scientific approach would help treat each patient precisely for their condition and ensure quality of life, said V. Mohan, Chairman of Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialties Centre.
Dr. Mohan, who delivered the P. Kutumpiah endowment lecture at the University of Madras here on Thursday, said treatment can be provided to a patient using their health history. The Indian diabetes risk score that relies on age, physical activity, waist measurement and parents’ health history can help doctors predict with 70% accuracy a person’s predisposition to diabetes.
Precision medicine is based on science — where a genetic study is done and artificial intelligence comes up with a formula on the possible responses to a drug. Precision medicine helps to prevent complications that could occur from long-time use of medicine, he said. People with conditions such as obesity, anaemia, and poor kidney function, all require different types of drugs.
Phenotype study such as BMI score and age could further refine the results.
“A single gene defect could produce diabetes. Find a mutation and you find a cause,” he explained, citing the instance of a 16-year-old girl who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, putting her on lifelong insulin supplement.
A thorough study of the patient, however, found that the girl had inherited a mutated gene resulting in type 2 diabetes requiring specific treatment.
“For every drug there are some genetic markers: if you have them you will either respond, won’t respond or will have side effects. If the cost of genetic testing becomes very cheap you can do it for all,” Dr. Mohan said.
CHENNAI, MARCH 15, 2019 00:00 IST
‘A scientific approach will ensure quality of life’
Diabetes may be all about irregular glucose levels but every person with the condition could respond differently to commonly prescribed medicines. A scientific approach would help treat each patient precisely for their condition and ensure quality of life, said V. Mohan, Chairman of Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialties Centre.
Dr. Mohan, who delivered the P. Kutumpiah endowment lecture at the University of Madras here on Thursday, said treatment can be provided to a patient using their health history. The Indian diabetes risk score that relies on age, physical activity, waist measurement and parents’ health history can help doctors predict with 70% accuracy a person’s predisposition to diabetes.
Precision medicine is based on science — where a genetic study is done and artificial intelligence comes up with a formula on the possible responses to a drug. Precision medicine helps to prevent complications that could occur from long-time use of medicine, he said. People with conditions such as obesity, anaemia, and poor kidney function, all require different types of drugs.
Phenotype study such as BMI score and age could further refine the results.
“A single gene defect could produce diabetes. Find a mutation and you find a cause,” he explained, citing the instance of a 16-year-old girl who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, putting her on lifelong insulin supplement.
A thorough study of the patient, however, found that the girl had inherited a mutated gene resulting in type 2 diabetes requiring specific treatment.
“For every drug there are some genetic markers: if you have them you will either respond, won’t respond or will have side effects. If the cost of genetic testing becomes very cheap you can do it for all,” Dr. Mohan said.
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