Big Data and Precision Medicine: Bridging the Gap Between Promise and Reality

The dream of big data enthusiasts to solve all problems in the medical field through data analysis seems within reach. However, the current reality is that whether data is “big” or “small,” it remains only a small part of the wave of medical transformation and has not truly played its due role.

Undoubtedly, new data resources and big data analytics are a boon to patient health. However, if these data are not applied at the levels of individual patients, data providers, and society as a whole, all efforts will be in vain. There is an inherent generation gap and boundary between data itself and its utilization; this is where reality and aspirations collide and compromise. Ultimately, everything depends on how we manage and harness them.

In precision medicine and treatment, the complexities surrounding genes have extended beyond the scope of providers.

Dr. Abigail Zuger published an engaging article in The New York Times. She stated that there is no issue more complex and challenging than genetics. She also cited the case of her patient, Barbara, an HIV-positive individual with alcohol use disorder who concurrently suffered from multiple complications affecting her heart, liver, lungs, and hips.

“Is it this hereditary alcoholism that has altered her life and environment? Or is a life with alcohol as a long-term companion merely a new cycle beginning at a different starting point, only to repeat itself endlessly?” she asked in her article.

She went on to explain how precision medicine helps patients like Barbara. Analyses drawn from big data, precision medicine, emergency department physicians, and the patients themselves all converged on the same prescription. “Find a place to live, make new friends, and take the medications I’ve prescribed,” Zuger summarized.

But which aspects of finding accommodation, making new friends, and the actual processes of paying for and obtaining medications can be delivered through precision medicine? And which aspects can be analyzed through big data?

Identifying needs is one thing; fulfilling them is another.

Precision medicine and big data can analyze problems either jointly or independently, but they cannot tell you how to solve these problems. In other words, no single provider is capable of resolving them. Physicians can advise patients to move to better housing and to take medication, but healthcare providers cannot directly provide such accommodation nor cover the cost of the medication.

Every income bracket finds itself in a dilemma.

This dilemma disproportionately affects the poor and those who are exploited and oppressed. For instance, Sovaldi is a novel drug that effectively cures nearly all patients with hepatitis C. Precision medicine and big data analytics would undoubtedly conclude that Sovaldi is the optimal treatment for almost all hepatitis C patients. After all, it is the only known method to cure a previously incurable, potentially fatal disease. However, Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of this drug, has priced it at $84,000. Few individuals can afford this cost, and even insurance companies struggle to cover it. “U.S. payers (insurance companies) have pointed out that curing the entire population with hepatitis C would require $200 billion to purchase this drug, which can virtually cure all debilitating liver diseases—an astronomical figure for society as a whole,” noted David Morgan in his Reuters article.

The ultimate result is that, regardless of income and health insurance status, access to and the cost of many treatments remain a problem for a significant proportion of patients.

At present, although we have gained substantial knowledge and insights from precision medicine and big data, these advances have not resolved practical clinical issues. Many patients’ conditions and age-related physiological decline continue to worsen or persist. What, then, should we do?

Big Data and Precision Medicine Must Break Down Barriers in Healthcare Services.

Clearly, society and the government must accelerate efforts to address certain patient issues, as any changes will lead to improvements. In the United States, concerns about publicly funded healthcare may hinder certain reforms, despite the absence of significant issues with socialized medicine. In areas where socialized healthcare systems are in place, adopting a similar approach as outlined below has led to rapid improvements in patient outcomes and reduced costs.

In the United States, the federal government helps cover some costs to make medications more accessible and affordable for a larger population, similar to current funding initiatives for vaccines. Another approach involves having insurance companies, Medicaid, and Medicare negotiate with pharmaceutical manufacturers to lower drug prices. A further strategy is to regulate insurers’ formularies to ensure access to better medications. Although efforts in these areas are currently underway, they have largely been overlooked.

Another approach is for someone to use biosynthetic technology to produce a drug at minimal or zero cost, making it accessible to more people.

Biosynthesis has already been achieved in both citizen science and professional-scale settings. The key is that a diverse array of biohackers can focus on producing medications at significantly lower costs. As they do so, pharmaceutical companies and the insurance industry will face substantial disruption. Much like individuals with publicly funded healthcare, populations in remote areas can also benefit from more affordable drugs enabled by biosynthesis. Biosynthesis technology allows for on-demand, immediate production of medications, thereby reducing or eliminating ancillary costs associated with refrigeration and transportation.

Rescue by 3D Printing Technology

Biosynthesis is merely one approach to alleviating social tensions. Other creative initiatives stemming from professional and civic communities can also become commodified social goods. For instance, houses can be printed quickly and inexpensively. This novel method addresses the housing crisis for the homeless and those living below standard living conditions in unhealthy housing. A single domestic company can 3D-print ten homes in one day, with each unit costing $5,000.

Technological innovations are making it cheaper, more comprehensive, and easier to address issues related to housing, transportation, medication access, and patient health. As these advancements unfold, precision medicine will also be better positioned to resolve such challenges.

Big data can help identify individuals who need assistance to improve their health and help communities determine the best ways to meet their needs.

Therefore, although big data is not sufficient to address the health needs of all individuals, when comprehensively applied to healthcare challenges, it can improve public and individual health more effectively than traditional medicine.

At present, the focus should be on expanding the scope of big data applications in the healthcare sector, encompassing issues that governments and society can and should address. To achieve better health outcomes, we must now begin to consider how to integrate all these emerging technologies.

(To stay updated on the latest news about internet healthcare startups, please follow VCBeat’s WeChat official account: vcbeat. We also welcome you to engage with us on topics of interest, contact us via WeChat, and share your research insights.)