The revolution in genomic and information technologies are paving the way for the fulfillment of a long-held dream among clinicians - healthcare that takes into account individual characteristics to optimize diagnosis, treatment and prevention strategies. Seizing on the unprecedented opportunities, UCLA in 2017 launched the Institute for Precision Health to, among other things, facilitate large-scale initiatives in genetic and genomic medicine and promote innovative discoveries that will help us usher in the new era.
"Advances in genetics and genomics are allowing us to have a complete picture of someone's genetic makesup in a cost-effective manner, and to integrate that with other forms of genomic data, says Daniel Geschwind, MD, PhD, senior associate dean and associate vice chancellor of precision health at UCLA. "This will help us to get a better grasp of which disorders individuals are at high risk for, or to better understand what is causing a current disorder and use that knowldge to optimize their treatment. At the same time, with the advances in computer sciences, machine learning and enginerring, we can analyze 'big data' we are collecting in ways that will present new patters and generate totally new understandings of what is driving a particular disease.
Faculty in the UCLA Kardashian Center for Esophageal Health and the Institute for Precision Health are embarking on an exciting partnership that will bring together clinical and scientific experts in such areas as early cancer detection, mind-gut-microbiome and inflammatory bowel diseases to advance research and treatments for patients.
