National Yang-Ming University
Heroes in the Medical Community Shares How Precision Medicine Constitutes Progress Toward the Development of a Personalized Medicine Business Model
Monica Bey, the chief executive officer at Business Center of Industry (left); Professor Ying-Shiung Lee of Chung Shan Medical University (middle); and President Kuo of National Yang-Ming University (right), photographed before the speech
The rapid development of the pharmaceutical industry, continual breakthroughs in genome sequencing technology, and rapid advancements in tools for big data analysis in the health industry have provided a solid foundation for the era of precision medicine.
Professor Ying-Shiung Lee has served at National Taiwan University, Chang Gung University, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, and China Medical University Hospital. He currently serves at Chung Shan Medical University and specializes in precision medicine. As the first of a series of Academia Liaison Serial Events of Bio-navigator __ Corporate Keynote Speech in February, Professor Lee was invited to share how precision medicine can be developed into a business model for personalized medicine. He emphasized that the focus of healthcare will shift from reactive medicine toward preventive medicine in the future.
Professor Ying-Shiung Lee is engaged in precision medicine and hopes to lead the medical community in Taiwan in progress toward achieving the mission of precision medicine for Health 4.0.Professor Lee indicated that the current health care system emphasizes reactive medicine in which doctors assign diagnoses and prescriptions according to patient descriptions of their symptoms and corresponding medical test results. However, in the era of precision medicine, personalized medicine constitutes a future trend for medical care. In personalized medicine, an optimal and customized medical care or preventive solution is determined by an individual’s biomarkers, lifestyle, and living environment.
Evidence suggests that several countries that provide advanced medical care have made heavy investment in precision medicine in hopes of acquiring a pioneering role in said field. The United Kingdom first introduced the 100,000 Genomes Project in 2012 with the aim of completing genome sequencing for 100,000 people and applying the obtained results to the treatment of rare diseases and cancer. The United States proposed precision medicine initiatives in 2015 and 2016 as well as Cancer Moonshot to catch up. China also included precision medicine in its Thirteenth Five-Year Plan and aimed to invest a total of RMB$60 billion by 2030.
Professor Ying-Shiung Lee is engaged in precision medicine and hopes to lead the medical community in Taiwan in progress toward achieving the mission of precision medicine for Health 4.0.
Taiwan’s biotechnology industry is undergoing critical transformation. Professor Lee hopes that precision medicine in Taiwan can rapidly develop and achieve the 6 P’s in ideal precision medicine (i.e., preventive, predictive, personalized, participatory, precision, and preemptive medicine).
Professor Ying-Shiung Lee shares with President Kuo his comprehensive plan for the academy of precision medicine for Health 4.0.
Finally, Professor Lee shares how precision medicine can be used as a business model for the application of personalized medicine. For example, the company 23andMe provides direct-to-consumer genetic tests, and Helix provides do-it-yourself genetic tests (Gene 2.0). These are examples of developed and successful cases.
During his lecture, Professor Ying-Shiung Lee adopted a humorous and understandable manner to explain the profound value of precision medicine.
