Overview

Precision Medicine involves the application of omics sciences and systems biology to understand the causes of patients’ disease at the molecular level and utilize the information to design targeted treatments to address that individual disease process. In essence, Precision Medicine is a medical model that proposes the customization of healthcare with medical decisions, treatments, practice or products tailored to the individual or group of patients instead of one drug-fits all models (Yau TO, Precision treatment in colorectal cancer: Now and the future: Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology; 2019). Personalized Medicine is an older term of Precision Medicine (National Research Council 2011). Population Health, on the other hand includes health policies, guidelines, diagnosis and therapeutics, based on big data analysis of information from molecular, genetic levels to social, economic and public health data. In 2017, GMU Strategic Plan identified Precision Medicine Research as its main research direction. This led to the development of the “Thumbay Research Institute for Precision Medicine (TRIPM)” with a research agenda, focusing on understanding the molecular, genetic and immunological basis of cancer, diabetics and cardiovascular diseases. The Dual PhD Program in Precision Medicine has a broad scope and allows the PhD students to explore and develop through research, new knowledge leading to new diagnostics, treatments and prevention of diseases. The program is a dual degree program in collaboration with a top French University, Paris-Saclay University; it will be located at the College of Medicine, Gulf Medical University and Paris-Saclay University. Both universities have agreed to associate their efforts in order to promote international exchanges, to increase their scientific cooperation and to favor the development of research and higher education at the Gulf Medical University. In this respect, a full academic supervision shall ensure standards and quality of courses and research activities, similar to the one implemented at Paris-Saclay University. The two universities declared their intention to collaborate in the areas of exchange of faculty, students research facilities and laboratories, and supervision of research.