About the Special Issue

The Human Genome Project is regarded as one of the most important and ambitious projects in modern medicine and biology. The unveiling of the project in 2003 allowed us a glimpse of the huge complexity of the human genome. Besides the chemical, structural and functional insights associated with the discovery of the DNA sequence, important ethical, social and legal issues emerged with the completion of the project.

One of the most important outcomes of the Human Genome Project is the birth of a new and truly ground-breaking area in medicine, known as Personalized Medicine. Personalized Medicine, also refereed to as Precision Medicine, embodies a radical change in the way in which medicine is perceived, both from the practitioner’s standpoint as well as from the patient’s perspective. The concept of ‘personalizing’ medical care holds the promise of offering the best possible avenues for disease therapy in the future.

Personalized Medicine employs a wide array of methodologies and procedures aimed at identifying patient-specific clinically actionable targets that are tightly dependent on, or linked to, individual genomic signatures. Among other instruments, Personalized Medicine makes use of genomic, proteomic and bioinformatics platforms, in addition to more classical biochemical and genetic tools. While originally conceived as a futuristic arsenal for cancer treatment, it is nowadays clear that Personalized Medicine is rapidly expanding into most clinical specialties.

The aim of the present Special Issue on Personalized Medicine in Cancer Therapy is to provide the reader an overview on the trends, achievements and challenges lying ahead in this field. The Special Issue focuses on novel state-of-the-art technologies and their applications in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. We trust that the information summarized here will be of help to basic scientists as well as clinicians.

Keywords: personalized medicine, precision medicine, cancer therapy, genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics

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