Five tenets for advancing evidence-based precision medicine
Summary
Precision medicine for complex diseases uses individual-level characteristics to improve prediction of risk, therapeutic response and prognosis. Many precision medicine studies leverage existing data types and analytic methods to reveal new insights; however, beyond oncology, there has been limited success in translating precision medicine research for complex diseases into clinical practice. Thus, there is a need to identify areas for improvement, particularly in translation-oriented anal
Content
# Five tenets for advancing evidence-based precision medicine
*Published: 2026 Apr*
Precision medicine for complex diseases uses individual-level characteristics to
improve prediction of risk, therapeutic response and prognosis. Many precision
medicine studies leverage existing data types and analytic methods to reveal new
insights; however, beyond oncology, there has been limited success in
translating precision medicine research for complex diseases into clinical
practice. Thus, there is a need to identify areas for improvement, particularly
in translation-oriented analytical methods and study designs. In this
perspective article, we outline five fundamental tenets to enhance the efficient
clinical translation of precision medicine research. These tenets focus on
addressing (1) heterogeneity in risk, response and prognosis; (2) signal
robustness; (3) structured statistical benchmarking against key performance
indicators; (4) precision trial designs; and (5) risks and benefits to
individuals and society. Our intention is to promote clinically meaningful,
reproducible, scalable and equitable health outcomes through precision medicine,
beyond those possible through contemporary approaches.
DOI: 10.1038/s41591-026-04309-6