gms | German Medical Science

Rapid scientific advances in genomics such as in the light of epigenomics, microbiomics and systems biology supported by new ICT solutions not only contribute to the understanding of disease mechanisms, but also provide “big data” and in silico models resulting in promising innovative applications for human health management during the whole life-course. What was little time ago a vision for a new era of public health, in which advances from the -omic sciences would be integrated into strategies aiming at benefiting sub-populations (“stratified” population health), is now responding to the very pressing need for the development of effective personalized healthcare going even beyond personalized medicine based on a systems medicine approach. Thus, we clearly face the need for a new paradigm moving from population health to personal health making also use of social media, m-health and other emerging technologies. The paradigm shift depends on the willingness to restructure policies, and there is a clear urgency to prepare health care systems and policy makers in time.

So far, all stakeholders including policy-makers and the private sector are struggling to translate the emerging knowledge into public health. Public Health Genomics (PHG) is the area of public health en-suring that scientific advances in genomics (“from cell...”) triggered by innovative technologies are timely, effectively and responsibly translated into health policies and practice for the benefit of population health (“...to society”). The implementation of PHG requires increased concerted activities. The Institute for Public Health Genomics (IPHG) at Maastricht University aims to fulfil this task in Europe by hosting the European Centre for Public Health Genomics (ECPHG). Activities include the dissemination of the European Best Practice Guidelines, which have been developed by the Public Health Genomics European Network (PHGEN) and endorsed in 2012 by key European institutions and organisations such as EMA, ESF, ESPT, EAPM as well as the EU Member States. These guidelines will support all Member States in the implementation of personalized healthcare within the next few years. Furthermore, the ICPHG closely collaborates with initiatives like the European Flagship Pilot ITFoM on the future of medicine being one of the most ambitious worldwide large-scale, science-driven, research initiatives that aim to achieve the visionary goal of the “virtual human”.