Richard Chen, Personalis - Stanford Medicine Big Data | Precision Health 2016

TL;DR

Precision medicine is already being applied in targeted therapy diagnostics and is now expanding into the field of immuno oncology, offering new hope for cancer patients.

Transcript

what's really a pleasure to be here today and I'm going to switch gears a little bit and give an industry perspective on how precision medicine can be applied to this new emerging and exciting area of immuno oncology and specifically talk a little bit about how genomics and computational methods can be used to really drive innovation in this area s... Read More

Key Insights

• 💄 Precision medicine is already making a significant impact in cancer treatment with targeted therapy diagnostics.
• 🧑‍🚒 Immuno oncology, which utilizes immunotherapies to fight cancer, is an emerging field that offers transformative potential.
• ♋ Personalized cancer vaccines and predicting patient response to immunotherapies are two crucial areas in immuno oncology.
• 🦮 Precision medicine solutions are vital in immuno oncology to guide therapy selection and optimize limited healthcare resources.
• ❓ Identifying neo antigens is an important step in predicting patient response to immunotherapies.
• 💊 Developing comprehensive sequencing technologies and informatics is crucial for achieving clinical-grade sequencing in precision medicine.
• 💊 Analytical validation and addressing regulatory issues are essential for the successful implementation of precision medicine diagnostics.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is precision medicine, and how is it already being applied in cancer treatment?

Precision medicine involves sequencing tumors to identify specific mutations and guide the choice of targeted therapies. This approach has already been successful in targeted therapy diagnostics, where sequencing helps to select the most effective treatment options.

Q: What is immuno oncology, and why is it considered transformational in cancer treatment?

Immuno oncology involves using immunotherapies to harness and augment the patient's immune system for fighting cancer. It has shown remarkable success in treating traditionally difficult-to-treat cancers like melanoma. It offers new hope for patients who previously had limited treatment options.

Q: How can precision medicine solutions help in immuno oncology?

Precision medicine solutions are needed to predict patient response to immunotherapies and guide the selection of the most effective therapy for a tumor. As immunotherapy treatments proliferate, it becomes crucial to know which therapy will work for a specific patient to avoid unnecessary costs and improve patient outcomes.

Q: What are neo antigens, and why are they important in immuno oncology?

Neo antigens are mutations in tumors that are recognized as foreign by the immune system. They hold promise as predictors of response to immunotherapies. Identifying and predicting neo antigens can help determine the likelihood of the immune system responding to treatment.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Precision medicine is making significant advancements in cancer treatment, particularly in targeted therapy diagnostics, where sequencing tumors can guide the choice of specific therapies.

• Immuno oncology, which harnesses and augments the immune system to fight cancer, is an emerging area that is proving to be transformational in treating traditionally difficult-to-treat cancers.

• Personalis and other companies are developing precision medicine solutions for immuno oncology, such as predicting patient response to immunotherapies and creating personalized cancer vaccines.