ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book introduces the concept of personalized medicine, presenting such concepts as pharmacogenomics, targeted therapies, and individualized diagnosis and treatment. It also introduces a central thesis: personalized medicine will have a major impact on medicine and healthcare, and it will have significant socioeconomic effects on society and will rein in healthcare costs. The book presents "personalized medicine in the field", ethnographic work revealing many of the insights of the stakeholders with stories of personalized medicine. It highlights distinction between "made-to-stock" drugs and "made-to-order" drugs, illustrating why Big Pharma is hesitant to pursue made-to-order drugs for economic reasons. The book explores the bioethics behind personalized medicine and some necessary caveats to its development and integration into society. It discusses that increased investment in personalized medicine would counter the healthcare crisis, partly by promoting preventive medicine in patient care.
