Published: 16 December 2022

Co-creating the future of personalised medicine in Ireland

The right treatment for the right person at the right time: this is the promise of personalised medicine (PM), a paradigm shift in healthcare with transformative potential for patients, practitioners and the public. In order to explore what this might mean for Ireland, the Health Research Board (HRB) brought together stakeholders from across the health ecosystem at its National Conference in Dublin on 30 November.

“Personalised medicine opens new horizons for better, more targeted approaches to healthcare,” remarked HRB Chief Executive Dr Mairéad O'Driscoll in her opening address, which introduced a varied programme exploring the opportunities and challenges ahead. This blog recaps highlights from speakers across research, clinical practice and public and patient representatives, summarising key takeaways from the day’s discussions with links to each speaker's presentation for anyone wishing to watch back. 

From research to practice

Contributions from pioneers in PM demonstrated that it is far from blue-sky thinking, as research in genomics is already informing tailored treatment paths that are improving patient’s lives. The shift is from a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to healthcare to one that combines molecular profiling, medical imaging and lifestyle data, for example, to enable precise diagnosis, select personalised therapies, and target prevention strategies. Keynote speaker Dame Prof. Anna Dominiczak – Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Glasgow and Chief Scientist for Health for the Scottish Government – brought attendees behind the scenes of her team’s ‘Living Laboratory’ for precision medicine, where clinicians, scientists and industry are working together to pave the way for the adoption of PM across the Scottish health system. 

A series of case studies showcased leading-edge PM research happening here in Ireland. These included:

• Prof. Norman Delanty of Beaumont Hospital and the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland explaining how tailored treatments are making a real difference to the lives of patients with epilepsy
• Prof. Maeve Lowery of Trinity College Dublin and St James's Hospital presenting her work on precision cancer medicine: how targeting the molecular mechanism behind cancer development can have astounding clinical benefits
• Dr Shane McKee of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust sharing his experience of creating a diagnostic genomics architecture that can help clinicians ask the right questions to find the right answers for their patients. 

An emerging priority for policy and research

Already a prominent fixture in European research, personalised medicine is climbing the policy agenda here in Ireland too. “The theme of personalised medicine is both timely and topical, as we have made very important advances in this area recently,” commented Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD in his address to the conference, pointing to a number of recent developments. These include: 

1. Ireland’s first National Strategy for Genetics and Genomics
2. Ireland’s participation in the European ‘One Million Genomes’ initiative and European Genomic Data Infrastructure
3. A recent meeting of The Citizens’ Jury on the future use of genomics. 

Ejner Moltzen, Chair of the International Consortium for Personalised Medicine (ICPerMed), gave an overview of global developments in PM research. He described the pace of change as indicative of a broader sea change in healthcare: “10 years down the road, someone might remember we talked about ‘personalised medicine’; but by then, we will be just be referring to it as ‘health’ – health for patients and health for citizens.”

Navigating the challenges 

As with any major transformation, there will be challenges. Prof. Michael Barry, Director of the National Centre of Pharmacoeconomics, opened his talk with a provocative question: “Who is going to pay?” Looking at PM through the lens of drug expenditure across health systems, he probed the relationship between health benefits and the cost of new therapies. Prof. Katherine Payne, Professor of Health Economics at the University of Manchester, meanwhile, zoomed out to examine broader economic considerations and the need for inclusivity to extend the benefits of PM to all. 

An overarching conclusion

One conclusion emerged loud and clear from the day’s discussions: to truly deliver on the promise of personalised medicine, collaboration will be vital – not only within the health system, but across society too. Unlocking the benefits requires systemic change, and this can only happen if every stakeholder has a seat at the table: government departments and agencies, health system professionals, industry and academic research, and – crucially – patients and the public. 

These diverse views were presented in a session on the path forward for PM, and included:

• Orla Tinsley sharing their perspective as a patient advocate, emphasising the importance of access to enable patients to benefit from medical innovations
• Dr Ciara Staunton of Eurac Research giving an overview of ethico-legal aspects such as data protection and equity
• Roche’s Deirdre Poretti highlighting how innovation is emerging through collaboration between industry, academia and clinical practice
• HSE Chief Clinical Officer Dr Colm Henry presenting the health system view on genetics and genomics
• The HRB’s Dr Teresa Maguire summing up research funding priorities with the words: “cooperation, coordination, an integrated policy framework and a strategic research agenda”.  

The public voice was strong throughout the conference, in the form of video messages from across Ireland projected on stage. The HRB had reached out to over 50 community groups inviting people from all walks of life to share their views on personalised medicine. While attitudes were generally positive, concerns were raised around topics like data protection, access and equity. One contributor used the term ‘co-creation’ of healthcare to describe the benefits of moving to a personalised approach. Summing up the day’s discussions, HRB CEO Dr Mairéad O’Driscoll concluded that this perfectly encapsulates the way forward for PM in Ireland: “We need to work together to try to co-create our future in this space.” 

Further information including speaker bios and videos of all conference presentations are available on our event page.