RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Namitasai Ande
Independent Research G/T
2018-2019

Title: ​Every Disease IS Personal: How the Integration of Precision Medicine has Changed
Patient Treatment

Introduction and Overview of Research:

This research will be discussing and investigating the mistrust of precision medicine
techniques by diagnosed patients with genetical diseases as well as will be analyzing various
methods of precision medicine techniques that are being developed currently. Because of the
controversy of the subject, this research project is meant to inform family physicians about the
use of precision medicine techniques in administering proper treatment plans for their patients
after various forms of tests and use of developed technologies. This new knowledge is essential
for the general public to stay informed on the advancements in treatment research and where
funding is put into place. This promotes awareness in both patients and physicians to understand
which forms of treatments are reliable and where lines have been drawn in terms of modern
medical treatment.
Background and Rationale:
Precision medicine is a new form of treatment engineered to provide specialized
treatment for patients who have genetic disease and disorders such as cancer. “Using the genetic
changes in a patient's tumor to determine their treatment is known as precision medicine (Human
Genome Project 2008). Precision medicine is an approach to patient care that allows doctors to
select treatments that are most likely to help patients based on a genetic understanding of their
disease”( Shah 2017). This form of treatment has been looked into an research for less than the
last decade which makes it unreliable because not enough research has been done to prove that
this form of treatment actually works (Genetic Science Learning Center 2016). Even though in
some cases the genetic analysis can provide additional information to help medical professionals
determine an approach, getting a geneticist to analyze someone’s DNA is very expensive and
time-consuming (​Oberleiter 2015)​. In addition to the excruciating advances in the plan of action
of many of these participants there seems to be a large decrease in the amount of time and energy
put into the there be a viable properly In addition, genetics are not the only reason why a patient
might have acquired a disease/disorder. It could have been started by environmental behaviors
and the DNA of the patient would therefore be misleading. Researchers have also made claims
that this form of treatment would be most beneficial to children because it would be able to
hinder these young people from developing even more serious issues (Ford-Martin 2002).
Because of the controversy surrounding the use of precision medicine techniques to
prescribe patients, this topic is worthwhile to research so as to clarify the amount of procedure
and research doctors, biologist, researchers, and geneticists go through to ensure the
experimental drug that is being prescribed to each patient is liable and safe. By clarifying these
factors, patients who are dealing with these diseases as well as family physicians can be more
updated on the current state of treatment development and be reassured that the prescriptions that
they are being offered are in fact beneficial to their patient’s needs. This topic is very important
as well as many people deal with someone who has a life threatening disease such as cancer and
diabetes. Getting the general public educated on this type of information could be beneficial to
society to understand where funding and research is going to make treatments more effective.
Research Methodology:
Research Question:
Are there precision medicine techniques out there that are able to prevent and/or treat diseases or
other genetic disorders and if so which is the most effective?
Research Hypothesis:
While newly developed precision medicine techniques promise the prevention and cure for many
mutations in children, there are a variety of methods that are in the works of being developed.
One prevalent theme in this research that will be argued is the differing in definition of
precision medicine before and after the Precision Medicine Initiative. Initially precision medicine
was defined as the genetic comparison of a patient’s genome to the human genome which is
supposed to help determine the best treatment; however, the change is definition has resulted in
the subgrouping of patients into specific groups which determine their best course of treatment.
Research Design Model:
This research will be using descriptive research to explore the various types of precision
medicine techniques that are used in current research as well as will be collecting qualitative
data. This is because there is no personal, first-hand experimentation that can be done at this
stage in the the process. Descriptive research will enable the application of research for various
multitudes of labs, hospitals, and research facilities where, through meta-analysis, different
applications of precision medicine can be compared. In addition, qualitative data will be
collected because the only way to measure the effectiveness of a drug or series of drugs are
through testing and patient reactions.
Data Collection:
To collect data, interviews will be conducted. The interviews will be with those involved
in precision medicine research in both the scientific research aspect as well as the clinical aspect.
Interviews will be held with professionals who study technologies used to better the prediction of
risk of disease and testing as well as how to determine which treatment is best for which
treatment. The professionals whom expertise in the clinical aspect will discuss how different
patients are characterized and how their responses to certain drugs or therapies translate to
precision medicine subgrouping.
Although the interviews rely on past sources for question generation, the data collected
through these sources will vary from information collected in the past. This is because the
opinions of those surveyed and interviewed are formulated from experience. Since no one has an
identical experience, the answers to survey and interview questions will be different.
Product Objectives:
To better inform family pediatricians of factors of precision medicine that are influencing
the treatments that are given to their patients a seminar lesson plan will be made. This seminar
will inform all pediatricians that attend whom do not know what the concept of precision
medicine is. The information they will be taught is the development of precision medicine, the
different technologies that have been created, and the process of finding the optimal treatment
for their patient. This product emphasizes and encourages local doctors to be up to date with the
current technologies in their field so that they can better themselves for their patients.
This product is directed towards family doctors in the area. Because exposure to the
seminar would be difficult to other doctors outside of Maryland. This seminar will start and be
targeted at family doctors in the Maryland, Howard County area and if successful will reach out
to other practicing physicians in surrounding states.
The product will be communicated through fliers and emails to family physicians. In
addition, the seminar will take place on a series of dates with a 3 hour session where the
professionals can as questions, talk with their other colleagues, and listen to the seminar.
Logistical Considerations:
Some limitations that are present with conducting research are the limit in human sources
who are fully focused on the development of precision medicine. Many researchers use precision
medicine techniques, but do not classify their field of study as precision medicine. This obstacle
can be overcome by talking to multiple researchers to collect data on different types of ways that
precision medicine is used in the research aspect and clinical setting. Media communication will
be needed to contact family physicians in the area as well as a human team to conduct the actual
seminar. There will be a set amount of money to conduct the final product, a venue to where the
attendees will come and listen to the talks is an important cost that is yet to be determined.

Timeline of Product Development:

Date Item to Be Completed
2/4/19 - Turn in completed
Outline.
- Objective and Journal
2/22/19 - Locate 3 scholarly
journals. Start reading
scholarly journals.
3/1/2019 - Synthesis Paper
submitted.
- Complete reading first
scholarly journal.
3/4/2019 - Objective and Journal
- Interview held with
Suzana Corritori
Further Elaboration Completed?
- Outline of Synthesis Paper X
should be completed with
all changes to question
made.
- Scholarly sources which X
encompass research and
can add analysis to
research should be
selected.
- Final paper (first draft) X
should be completed with
all background and
previously finished
research included.
- The first scholarly journals
should be completed read
and annotated.
- Interview will be X
conducted over a facetime
call lasting about a half
hour discussing research
Dr. Corritori has
completed and future steps
she sees in the industry.
 3/8/2019 - Complete reading 2nd
scholarly journal.
3/10/19 - Complete reading 3rd
scholarly journal.
3/12/2019 - Document containing
data collection chart
should be made.
- Start preparing for Oral
Presentation.
3/15/2019 - Interview questions
and Meta-Analysis
sources should be
approved.
3/18/2019 - Research Proposal &
Timeline should be
submitted.
3/26/2019 - Oral Presentation.
3/27/2019 - Interview Ami Shah
will be conducted.
- The second scholarly X
journals should be
completed read and
annotated.
- The third scholarly X
journals should be
completed read and
annotated.
- A chart created to X
document similarities in
differences between all
three sources part of
meta-analysis should be
made. Interview sources
will be added to this
document as they are
completed.
- Oral presentation
preparation should begin
and powerpoint should be
made.
- Third Quarter Conference X
with Dr.Kiehl should add a
stamp of approval to
current position in Data
Collection with interviews
and meta-analysis.
- Research Proposal X
outlining research as well
as a timeline outlining how
I will go about completing
my last stage of research
should be submitted.
- Practice oral presentation
should be completed in
class.
- Second interview with
Ami Shah will be
conducted to further
understand the
implementation of
Targeted Therapies in

3/29/2019 - Data Analysis Wrap
Up assignment should
be submitted.
3/31/2019 - Final interview with
Dr.Elias Zambidis
should be completed.
4/1/2019 - Preparation for final
board should
commence.
- Objective and Journal.
4/4/2019 - Data Collection and
Analysis should be
submitted.
- Digital portfolio should
be completed.
4/7/2019 - Lesson plan
preparation should
begin.
4/10/2019 - Continue working on
board.
4/17/2019 - Half of lesson plans
should be finalized.
4/24/2019 - Work on and finalize
synthesis paper.
5/1/2019 - Complete synthesis
paper.
- Complete board.
- Get lesson plans
relation to Scleroderma.
- Classwork assignment
outlining how to present
data collection and analyze
collected data should be
submitted.
- Interview will occur over
the phone to further
understand the use of cell
therapy in Precision
Medicine.
- Final board materials
should be acquired and
collected to begin
brainstorming board set
up.
- All data collection and
analysis should be
completed; This included
document with all eight
data collection sources.
- Through data collected and
previous background
research, a lesson plan will
be made for family
physicians located in the
area.
- Board should be
- Scheduled checkpoint
meeting with Dr. Kiehl
should give time to discuss
direction of lesson plan.
- Synthesis paper should be
completed ready for peer
or Dr. Kiehl review.
- Synthesis paper should be
completed and approved.
- Presentation board should
be completed and ready to
 approved by Dr.Kiehl
5/6/2019 - Lesson plans should be
finalized.
5/10/2019 - Lesson plans should be
forwarded to family
physicians in the area.
5/17/2019 - Finalize and complete
all work.
present.
- Lesson plans will be
verified by Dr.Kiehl for
any further changes.
- Lesson plans should be
ready to be sent to family
physician offices.
- Lesson plans should either
be email or mailed to
family physicians in the
Howard County area.
- All work for class and
product should be
completed.

Approval: 

_____________________ _______________________
Student Signature G/T Resource Teacher Signature

Works Cited:

Aalok​, Shah. Personal Interview, January 27, 2019.

Ford-Martin, P. (2002). ​Cell therapy​. In D. S. Blanchfield & J. L. Longe (Eds.), ​The Gale
Encyclopedia of Medicine​ (2nd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 686-688). Detroit, MI: Gale. Retrieved
from
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3405600328/GVRL?u=hcpub_hebron&sid=GVR
L&xid=02b4b041

Genetic Science Learning Center.(2016, September 30). ​More examples of precision medicine in
​ etrieved from https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/precision/action/
action. R

Human Genome Project​. (2008). In R. Robinson (Ed.), ​Genetics.​ New York, NY: Macmillan
Reference USA. Retrieved from
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CV2642650123/SCIC?u=hcpub_hebron&sid=SCIC&
xid=81816394

Oberleitner, M. G., & Finley, K. (2015). ​Cancer therapy, curative intent​. In J. L. Longe (Ed.),
The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine​ (5th ed., Vol. 2, pp. 942-945). Farmington Hills, MI:
Gale. Retrieved from
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3623300344/GVRL?u=hcpub_hebron&sid=GVR
L&xid=1b9a8d85