September 9, 2008

Priorities for Personalized Medicine

This report of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, presents the scientific and clinical background of personalized medicine, its potential to improve health care, and the obstacles standing in the way of its progress. It reviews the landscape of personalized medicine by describing the diagnostic tools involved, the clinical domains affected, and the requirements for implementation in clinical practice. The report also explains the rationale for focusing on the three priority areas of technology/tools, regulation, and reimbursement and provides a brief review of the issues facing the remaining five policy areas. The report discusses in detail the technical background, policy issues, and challenges affecting each of the three priority areas and provides specific recommendations for each area.