‘To cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always’ has been the aphorism of doctors worldwide since the late 1800s when Dr Edward Trudeau failed in his endeavour to save tuberculosis patients at Adirondack Cottage Sanitorium, including three out of his four children.
Today tuberculosis is no longer a life threat in most cases, thanks to the discovery of tuberculosis bacillus, the development of effective medications, the classification of the disease into different sub-categories, and the sensitive methods of detection. The epidemic of tuberculosis has been tightly controlled in most areas of the world, but other chronic and complex diseases such as autoimmune diseases and malignancies keep haunting doctors, who often have to resort to the aphorism of Dr Trudeau.
We saw the hope to cure and relieve more around the corner at the turn of the century. Comprehensive understanding of the pathogenesis of diseases helps identify the disease at the molecular level; many molecular targeted drugs have been developed; precision therapy becomes possible. Moreover, with the development of molecular assays such as next-generation sequencing identifying genetic alterations and related biomarkers of diseases, prevention and intervention strategies can be developed based on individual characteristics. These progresses herald the dawning of a new era of medicine: precision medicine, which is more focused on the individual. My own clinical experience as one of the very first physicians in China to treat a non-small-cell lung cancer patient with EGFR mutation with Gefitinib in 2003 reaffirmed me the advent of the era of precision medicine.
In contrast to traditional medical modes, precision medicine that tailors health care to individual characteristics is revolutionizing all areas of health and disease. These individual characteristics include information on genetics and epigenetics, health history, lifestyle and beyond, based on which individuals can be classified into subpopulations, and which appropriate preventive or therapeutic interventions can be precisely concentrated on those in need, leading to a medical care regime of higher efficiency and lower risk for individuals and lower cost in general. The era of precision medicine has already come, enabled by science, and supported by the tailwinds of cost and quality pressures of countries around the globe, holding the greatest potential in discovery, development, and application of precision prevention, diagnostics, therapeutics, and prognostics. In welcoming the new medicine model, professional platforms are required for the interaction of all involved knowledge to help healthcare professionals and researchers in the world exchange ideas, technologies, discoveries, and experiences. Precision Clinical Medicine commits itself to the combination of precision medical research and clinical application.
Precision Clinical Medicine is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal that publishes original research articles, case reports, reviews, editorials, and perspectives in the field of precision medicine in a timely manner. The journal covers all aspects of precision medicine, which uses novel means of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention tailored to the needs of a patient or a sub-group of patients based on the specific genetic, phenotypic, or psychosocial characteristics. The topics of the journal's publication scope include cancers, inherited diseases, chronic diseases, immune diseases, infectious diseases, complex diseases and rare diseases, besides others.
As the co-editor-in-Chief, I am sincerely grateful that my esteemed friends Professor Sherman M. Weissman (the Sterling Professor of Genetics, Yale University) and Professor Kang Zhang (Chief of Ophthalmic Genetics, University of California San Diego), are willing to work together with me for this journal. We also appreciate the commitment of the editorial board of outstanding researchers and clinicians from different countries. Among them are Nobel Laureates Dr Barry Marshall and Dr Jack Szostak, and recipient of the National Academy of Sciences Award for Scientific Discovery (2015) Dr Jonathan S. Welshman.
Precision Clinical Medicine aims to be a leading communication platform for researchers and clinicians worldwide. The editorial office and board promise fast and strict peer review followed by fair and prompt decisions. The accepted manuscripts then go to our partner Oxford University Press (OUP) for production. Together we aim to present readers worldwide with high-quality articles on the research and clinical application of precision medicine. We hope the journal helps build a bridge to the future where doctors comfort always, relieve all, and cure each.