"Personalized Medicine", Future Treatment Model

Not everyone is suited to a particular type of treatment. In some people, the treatment does not give a positive reaction, it can even be toxic to the body.

Eijkman Institute senior researcher Prof. David. H. Muljono, MD, FINASIM, Ph.D. stated, compliance with treatment is required between users so that patients obtain maximum results. No wonder, if in the future treatment trends will lead to a concept called personalized medicine.

"Every individual has different characteristics and may not be imitated. Characteristic that determines the effectiveness of a treatment," said David at the seminar 'Celebrating 60 Years of DNA Discovery' in Titan Centre, Jakarta (06/04/2013).

David explains, the concept of personalized medicine is a treatment based on a particular classification or characteristic of an individual, such as the arrangement of genes in the body. Classification can be based on acceptance (susceptibility) in a reaction to disease and treatment.

Personalized medicine, said David, will result in segmentation on specific groups or individuals. This will determine the suitability of the possible repercussions of the disease (prognosis). Including the likelihood that the disease will recur. Conformity with this, treatment efforts to be more effective.

"In the future there is no one type of drug in the same dose, given for all individuals. Though with this understanding, the treatment did not reach the 50 percent target," said David.

The concept of individualized treatment, according to David, is actually not new. Personalized medicine policy of the United States government had done in 2005. Its application can refer to the act of preventing a disease.

Since 2005, women with a history of breast cancer in the United States are advised to check the gene. This is a great opportunity to find out how each woman suffering from cancer. Woman with a great chance of course must fortify ourselves early. Some women are also advised to breast removal (mastectomy) if it has a type of cancer determinant genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast. As a result, attacks breast cancer can be treated early.

David recommends personalized medicine can be immediately applied in Indonesia. "We are home to more than 500 ethnicities, different. These differences will have an effect on the treatment and prevention is done," he said.

David also recommends sampling gene does in many ethnic groups in Indonesia. Through sampling, which can be seen in the high-risk ethnic in a kind of disease. This step was followed by picketing to lower disease risk factors.