According to City of Hope's Stephen Gruber, M.D., M.P.H., precision medicine has led to the greatest progress in cancer medicine that we’ve yet seen. By leveraging the genetic and genomic features that contribute to the development of cancer, many of these remarkable new drugs can destroy cancer cells without harming healthy tissue, and they generally have far fewer side effects.
Until very recently, genetic research has largely centered on people of European heritage, but the Center for Precision Medicine at City of Hope is dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion. Breakthroughs include the discovery of 50 new genetic variants for colon cancer, which will have an enormous impact on precision medicine across various ethnic and racial groups.