Personalized medicine is the concept that selection of a treatment should be tailored according to the individual patient's specific characteristics, including age, gender, height/weight, ethnicity, diet,  and environment , versus a decision based on 'standards of care' derived by averaging responses across large cohorts of individuals in clinical trials. This alternate approach has only been possible as a result of the translation and integration of several new technologies in clinical care. As the first definitive work on this topic, Textbook of Personalized Medicine reviews  the  fundamentals and development of personalized medicine,  and subsequent adoptions of the concepts by the  biopharmaceutical industry and the medical profession. It also discusses examples of applications in key therapeutic areas, as well as ethical and regulatory issues. The textbook will serve as a convenient source of information for physicians, scientists, decision makers in the biopharmaceutical and healthcare industries, and interested members of the public.

"Personalized medicine, which simply means selection of treatment best suited for an individual, involves integration and translation of several new technologies in clinical care of patients. The scope is much broader than indicated by the term genomic medicine because many non-genomic factors are taken into consideration in developing personalized medicine. Basic technologies for personalized medicine, of which molecular diagnostics has the biggest share, are mentioned briefly and appropriate references are given for further information. Commercial aspects are discussed briefly in a chapter and detailed analysis of markets and companies involved in personalized medicine is presented in a special report on this topic.There is increasing interest in personalized medicine. Considerable advances have taken place in molecular biology and biotechnology to make personalized medicine a viable option, but some misconceptions still exist, both in the academic and commercial sectors. There is lack of a suitable source of information that provides both the fundamentals as well as applications of personalized medicine. As the latest version of the first monograph on personalized medicine published in 1998, this volume, Textbook of Personalized Medicine, summarizes the author's efforts during the past decade, as well as reviews selected studies done during this period in a readable format for the physicians and scientists. It is hoped that physicians, pharmacists, scientists and interested lay readers with basic scientific knowledge will find this book useful."

Basics of Personalized Medicine.- Molecular Diagnostics as Basis of Personalized Medicine.- Role of Biomarkers in Personalized Medicine.- Pharmacogenetics.- Pharmacogenomics.- Role of Pharmacoproteomics.- Role of Metabolomics in Personalized Medicine.- Personalized Biological Therapies.- Development of Personalized Medicine.- Personalized Therapy for Cancer.- Personalized Management of Neurological Disorders.- Personalized Therapy of Cardiovascular Diseases.- Personalized Management of Miscellaneous Disorders.- Personalized Preventive Medicine.- Organization of Personalized Medicine.- Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Personalized Medicine.- Economics of Personalized Medicine.- Future of Personalized Medicine.