Whether it is personalized, precision, or mechanistic medicine - the clinical laboratory has a role

摘要

The quote, from William Osier, over 100 years ago was not only insightful, but with the recent advances in science, technology, and our understanding of the mechanisms of various diseases one can one only surmise that it was also accurate. In this issue of Clinical Biochemistry, the application of genetic testing and treatment is at the forefront [2-4]. Particularly, the topic of genetics and personalized medicine is discussed from both the laboratory and clinical perspectives [3,4]. These articles add to the on-going debate on what is needed in the future to achieve and realize personalized medicine or precision medicine for widespread clinical application [5,6].