Developing companion diagnostics for delivering personalised medicine: opportunities and challenges

A greater understanding of disease biology processes, the opportunity to develop targeted drugs leading to further improved patient outcomes and technology advances, as well as increasing pressure on healthcare budgets have led to a shift towards personalised healthcare solutions. Personalised medicine has tremendous potential benefits for patients and healthcare providers, as well as for regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies, but the advancement of this innovative therapeutic strategy depends on identifying biomarkers functioning as companion diagnostics for the targeted drug. However, considerable practical, methodological, regulatory and economic issues must be addressed to fully realise the potential of this approach.