With the 28th edition of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) held recently, the eyes of the world are currently trained on global climate action and resilience. The United Nation’s annual climate summit has this year dedicated an entire day to health, throwing into sharp focus any clinical efforts within the healthcare sector to minimise environmental footprint.
Precision medicine is one of these key approaches that is being hailed as an enabler of sustainability. With the potential to tailor care toward the best patient outcomes, data-based precision medicine can also effectively minimise resource utilisation and reduce waste.
As an early advocate of personalised medicine, Dr. Wesam Ahmed, Department Chair for Hematology, Medical Oncology & Bone Marrow Transplant in the Oncology Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, shed light on its benefits and need amid climate change at COP28, “Climate change and global warming affect our bodies and our internal makeup. For example, increasing exposure to the sun and air pollution can cause cancer. Genetic testing has the potential to help us understand these changes and enable preventive measures, including early lifestyle changes.”
There are two main types of genetic testing: germline testing looks for inherited mutations that can predispose an individual to certain diseases, whereas somatic testing investigates for acquired mutations in a confined set of diseased cells or tissue to determine what medicines can be best used to target them. Somatic testing is often known as tumor analysis or tumor sequencing.
Under the aegis of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the health sector regulator for the emirate, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has been offering a world-class Personalized Precision Medicine Program for cancer patients since 2022 which is also supported by other key innovators such as Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and G42 Healthcare. The initiative, which is the first of its kind in the region, leverages proactive population-wide genetic testing and cutting-edge artificial intelligence-based technologies for innovative tumor analysis, and works toward the development of personalised treatment plans.
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“This kind of genetic testing shifts us away from a one-size-fits-all model for cancer care, allowing us to dispense the most effective treatments for each patient while reducing treatment toxicity and even enabling the early diagnosis of cancer risk. In terms of sustainability, this targeted approach helps us minimise resource utilisation and waste, especially through the use of pioneering alternative screening methods like blood tests and helps cut back on the environmental footprint of medical care,” Dr. Ahmed explained.
The programme, which uses genome sequencing data collected as part of the Emirati Genome Project (EGP), also aims to drive a broader understanding of the environmental impact on cancer and contribute to the well-being of cancer patients across the globe. In its initial stages, it is being used to tackle breast cancer – the most common cancer in the UAE – by enabling the development of tailored prevention plans for high-risk patients, as well as customised treatment strategies for individuals diagnosed with this form of cancer.
Dr. Ahmed explained the added role of precision medicine in tracing cancer cell mutations, “Cancer cells are constantly evolving, and the process can even be triggered by climate-related environmental changes. This means that drugs in use at present may not be effective against new mutations, so somatic testing is the key to tracing these genetic alterations and ensuring effective interventions that have minimal impact on our planet. Additionally, extending the scope of pharmacogenomics beyond cancer and broadening the understanding of environmental impacts will ensure more comprehensive personalised care.”
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Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi further acts as a collection centre for the EGP, which is working to refine the Emirati reference genome through inputs from one million collected samples. EGP is led by M42, a tech-based health organisation that includes Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in its network. The project seeks to offer personalised medical treatment, advance the local and international understanding of genomics and health, and support disease prevention strategies for Emiratis.
Dr. Ahmed explained that the benefits of widespread implementation of precision medicine are two-fold, “Not only will the greater use of targeted therapies help protect the environment, but it will also enhance sustainability by driving down costs for targeted therapies, making them more accessible. This is good news for all patients, who can hope to receive effective care at a sustainable cost.”
Given its instrumental role in weaving sustainability into healthcare, precision medicine is billed as the way forward, presenting significant upsides for both people and the planet. In line with its unwavering drive toward patient-centric care and sustainability, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi will continue to tap into the power of advanced technologies beyond COP28 to enhance health outcomes and safeguard the future of the world for generations to come.
