| Literature DB >> 26594303 |
G W Canonica1, C Bachert2, P Hellings3, D Ryan4, E Valovirta5, M Wickman6, O De Beaumont7, J Bousquet8.
Abstract
Precision medicine is a medical model aiming to deliver customised healthcare - with medical decisions, practices, and/or products tailored to the individual patient informed but not directed by guidelines. Allergen immunotherapy has unique immunological rationale, since the approach is tailored to the specific IgE spectrum of an individual and modifies the natural course of the disease as it has a persistent efficacy after completion of treatment. In this perspective Allergen Immunotherapy - AIT has to be presently considered a prototype of Precision Medicine. Precise information and biomarkers provided by systems medicine and network medicine will address the discovery of Allergen immunotherapy biomarkers for (i) identification of the causes, (ii) stratification of eligible patients for AIT and (iii) the assessment of AIT efficacy. This area of medical technology is evolving rapidly and, compelemented by e-health, will change the way we practice medicine. It will help to monitor patients' disease control and data for (i) patient stratification, (ii) clinical trials, (iii) monitoring the efficacy and safety of targeted therapies which are critical for reaching an appropriate reimbursement. Biomarkers associated with e-health combined with a clinical decision support system (CDSS) will change the scope of Allergen immunotherapy. The cost/effectiveness of Allergen immunotherapy is a key issue for successful implementation. It should include the long-term benefits in the pharmaco-economic evaluation, since no other allergy treatment has this specific characteristic. AIT is the prototype of current and future precision medicine.Entities:
Keywords: AIT; Allergen immunotherapy; Allergy; Personalized medicine; Precision medicine
Year: 2015 PMID: 26594303 PMCID: PMC4640346 DOI: 10.1186/s40413-015-0079-7
Source DB: PubMed Journal: World Allergy Organ J ISSN: 1939-4551 Impact factor: 4.084
Fig. 1The three steps of personalised (precision) medicine (modified from [2])
Major achievements of precision medicine
| • Improve clinical outcomes and predictability | |
| • Avoid side effects caused by inappropriate treatment | |
| • Increase quality of life | |
| • Encourage patient compliance due to better results | |
| • Optimise use of healthcare resources |
Current precision medicine in AIT
| 1. Precise diagnosis with history, skin prick tests and specific IgE | |
| 2. Proven indications: Allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis, asthma, venom allergy | |
| 3. Patient stratification: those who require AIT for the control of symptoms and the alteration of the natural history of allergy | |
| 4. Innovative product: allergen standardized, evidence medicine based and with marketing authorization | |
| 5. Placing the patient’s (and caregiver)’s wishes and goals at the centre an essential component |
Future precision medicine in AIT
| 1. Precision diagnosis aided by eHealth technologies [ | |
| 2. Amenability of Allergic rhinitis, asthma, co-morbid allergic diseases, venom allergy, food allergy, other diseases (eg atopic dermatitis) to treatment with AIT | |
| 3. Patient stratification aided by e-HEALTH assessment and biomarkers | |
| 4. Innovative products: recombinant allergens and new forms of AIT | |
| 5. Marketing authorization for AIT products | |
| 6. A new role of preventative immunotherapy aimed at those at high risk | |
| 7. Putting the patient at the centre: guideline informed rather than guideline directed. |
Fig. 2The three steps of Personalised (Precision) Medicine applied to AIT
Steps for the evaluation framework of biomarkers
| • Analytical validation of reliability, reproducibility, and adequate sensitivity and specificity. | |
| • Qualification to ensure that the biomarker is associated with the clinical outcome including prognosis. | |
| • Utilisation analysis to determine that the biomarker is appropriate for the proposed use. |
Types of biomarkers for AIT
| 1. Identification and validation of biomarkers assessing the probability of response to treatment of AIT before it is initiated | |
| 2. Identification and validation of biomarkers assessing the safety of AIT before it is initiated | |
| 3. Identification and validation of biomarkers confirming the efficacy of AIT in patients receiving AIT (short and long term) | |
| 4. Identification and validation of biomarkers predicting the long-term effects of AIT before it is stopped | |
| 5. Identification and validation of biomarkers predicting the relapse of symptoms when AIT is stopped |
Precision medicine in AIT using innovative tools (biomarkers and e-health)
| • Assessment of prevalence and severity of allergic diseases. | |
| • Phenotypic characterisation of allergic patients, stratification of patients, characterisation of severe chronic upper airway disease (SCUAD) patients and characterisation of patients to be treated by AIT. | |
| • Randomised controlled trials (placebo-controlled or real life cluster randomised trials): assessment of efficacy (during the allergen exposure) and safety (during AIT administration). | |
| • Follow up of patients in clinical settings during AIT. | |
| • Follow up of patients in clinical settings after AIT has been stopped. |
Use of biomarkers and e-health in AIT randomized controlled trials
| EAACI AIT outcomes | e-health and biomarkers |
|---|---|
| Total symptom score | Included in VASa |
| Total medication score | Standardised by ICPs and CDSS |
| Total symptom-medication score | Standardised by ICPs and CDSS |
| Quality-of-Life | Included in VASa |
| Well days | Standardised by ICPs and CDSS |
| Days with severe symptoms | Standardised by ICPs and CDSS |
| Global assessment of patient satisfaction | Recorded by telemedicine |
aIn 2 cluster randomized trials of 595 and 537 patients (one in secondary care, one in primary care) [43, 44], the VAS level change during treatment incorporated symptom and RQLQ information.
Fig. 3Critical issues on precision medicine in AIT
Fig. 4Flow of precision medicine approach in allergic disease