Personalized Medicine in California

Kathryn Lowell,Deputy Secretary for Life Sciences and Health Systems

February, 2009

In 2004, Governor Schwarzenegger championed and California voters passed Proposition 71, devoting an unprecedented $3 billion to stem cell research creating the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). 

To date, the CIRM Governing Board has approved grants totaling more than $693 million, making CIRM the largest source of funding for embryonic and stem cell research in the world. 

According to the National Science Foundation, six of the best-funded research universities in the nation are in California, five of which are University of California (UC) institutions.  Also, one in four U.S. biotech companies are located within 35 miles of a UC campus. 

CALIFORNIA BIOTECHNOLOGY STATISTICS

Potential of Personalized Medicine

Application of genomic data to better target the delivery of medical interventions - tailoring prescriptions to defined sub-populations and possibly individuals

Crucial tool in the discovery and clinical testing of new products that improve health care, personal health and lower costs

Application of sophisticated, clinically useful diagnostic tools that may help determine a patient’s predisposition to a particular disease or condition

PERSONALIZED MEDICINE-FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE

The establishment of the Genomics and Personalized Medicine Interagency Working Group.

Expanded & accelerated research programs to collect genetic & genomic data.

A national biobanking research initiative.

Improved outreach to educate the public about molecular genetic screening, diagnostics, & treatments.

Workforce development in genetics and genomics.

Improving the safety, efficacy, oversight, regulation of genetic tests.

PERSONALIZED MEDICINE: STATE PERSPECTIVES

BTH as the economic development agency with mission of promoting regional

growth and innovation

Interested in how to lower the State’s health care costs -- as a purchaser

Interest in improving health outcomes

Validating the Economic

Potential of Personalized Medicine

Recent Deloitte report, “The ROI for Targeted Therapies: A Strategic Perspective” examined: Whether personalized medicine has a quantifiable ROI Whether an economic framework be derived from case studies

that will demonstrate differences in ROI across industry stakeholders

Report concluded that: All stakeholder groups experienced a positive ROI under certain

conditions, with payers received marginal benefit after six years Consumers stood to gain the most significant ROI opportunity

within the shortest time period

CALIFORNIA IS A LEADER IN PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

Innovation in California

UCSF's Center for Translational and Policy Research

QB3 -- The California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), a cooperative effort among three campuses of the University of California and private industry, harnesses the quantitative sciences to integrate our understanding of biological systems at all levels of complexity - from atoms and protein molecules to cells, tissues, organs and the entire organism.

Kathryn Lowell,

Deputy Secretary for Life Sciences and Health Systems

klowell@bth.ca.gov