Introduction

Abstract

In October 2009 the University Medicine Greifswald launched the “Greifswald Approach to Individualized Medicine” (GANI_MED) to implement individualized diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in clinical settings. It was the first attempt to establish an Individualized Medicine (IM) program at a German university hospital. IM is a new approach in the context of prevention, tailored diagnostic and treatment of patients with regard to their individual characteristics. Since the completion of the human genome project in 2003, the approach of Individualized Medicine, along with other similar designations such as Personalized Medicine (PM) or Stratified Medicine (SM), has led to controversies about its clinical and economical potentials, as well as its societal implications and ethical requirements. History, applied research ethics, concept-based ethics and health-economics are integral parts of the GANI_MED consortium. In contrast to other comprehensive presentations of IM published so far, this anthology focuses on this research area. However, this volume includes some further contributions out of the GANI_MED context, contributing to an understanding of these works. In this book the research from these disciplines is presented. It draws attention to the fact that the implementation of individualized approaches into medical research and clinical practice is linked to changes in health care systems and societal values.