A Precision Medicine Framework to Improve Patient Care Using Orthobiologics

The lack of consistent responses to treatment is a considerable challenge in the medical field, in part driven by the one-size-fits-all approach traditionally applied to developing and testing therapies. This approach has resulted in treatments that work for some patients but fail to work for others and has led to the development of precision medicine initiatives aiming to refine treatment allocation. This is of particular interest for orthopaedic conditions, for which patient populations are often heterogeneous. The rapid implementation of orthobiologics and their lack of consistent clinical efficacy, for which the heterogeneity and variability stem from both the patients and the treatments, further underline the need to implement precision medicine approaches in orthopaedics. This article will discuss proposed steps, challenges, and opportunities to enable the deployment of a precision medicine framework to improve patient care using orthobiologics.