PHPS41100

Advances in precision medicine as applied to the study of infectious disease, have been enabled by developments in next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. These have benefited from developments in high throughput data analysis techniques, and the ability to leverage information that provides a sound basis for decision making. Increasingly, genome-based approaches to diagnose infection and to inform individual patient treatment regimens are a reality in modern medicine. In addition, the speed with which genome data can now be generated and interpreted allows for the introduction of real-time, targeted outbreak control measures at a population level.

The focus of this module is to introduce the student to the concept of precision medicine through the use of relevant applications from the individual patient and societal perspective. At the patient level, there are many potential approaches including the use of companion diagnostics and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) for optimising patient specific treatment regimens. Further depth can be obtained using approaches such as metagenomic analysis that provides a powerful tool for the detection of potential pathogens where traditional diagnostic techniques struggle. At the population level, real-life experiences with precision molecular-based epidemiology techniques illustrate the power of such tools and the targeted population-level public health and control interventions that are possible. A case in point is the application of these strategies applied to the control of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Further, as genomic data from food and environmental samples is increasingly used to guide the development of targeted food safety policies and procedures, the module will also address the application of genomics to food safety and the impact of host and environmental factors on the host gut microbiome and human health.

The module will be divided into four learning segments; i) precision medicine in the clinic, ii) precision molecular epidemiology, iii) introduction to precision food safety and iv) introduction to phylogenetic analysis of viral genomes.

Factors governing the design of the experimental and analytical approach to precision medicine in infectious disease will be explored in detail.