London Health Sciences Centre Auxiliary pledges $2.24 million
London, Ont. - The latest pledge of $2.24 million from London Health Sciences Centre's Auxiliary will help support Canada's first hospital-wide implementation of personalized medicine under the leadership of world-renowned clinical pharmacologist Dr. Richard Kim.
As technology improves, the ability to treat patients more precisely has become reality - even using unique genetic markers to personalize care at levels never before seen.
Traditional prescribing protocols or the "iterative" approach, factors in patient group traits and clinical experience to determine an effective medication and dosage for treating an identified symptom, condition or disease. While this method works for a significant proportion of patients, it cannot predict a percentage of patients whose bodies may not process the medication as intended, thus reducing its effect, or worse, causing an adverse reaction.
Personalized medicine uses recent advances in genomic diagnostic technologies to understand the genetic differences between individuals and how each patient will process medications. This process helps identify the best medication, at the right dose to be most effective for each, individual patient - while reducing the possibility of adverse drug reactions.
Dr. Kim currently runs clinics incorporating these new technologies and patient care approaches for prescribing the blood thinner warfarin, the statin class of cholesterol-lowering medications, a number medications used to treat heart conditions, inflammation, depression, and certain medications used to treat cancer such as: tamoxifen, 6-MP, capecitabine, and 5-FU.
The pledge announced today will support laboratory positions, the purchase of key technology for genomic diagnostics, training initiatives and other resources needed to enable the hospital-wide deployment of this personalized medicine approach.
For more than 92 years, the LHSC Auxiliary has supported hospital initiatives in education, research and patient care and is noted for its progressive thinking.
From establishing the first scholarship for post-graduate nursing studies in North America, to forming the first Ontario Cancer Control Committee to educate the public about cancer, to its 1999 pledge of $5 million towards hospital redevelopment (the largest pledge ever from a hospital auxiliary in Canada), to its previous donation of $1 million to Mental Health Care (supporting a project to ease the transition between child, youth and adult care), the LHSC Auxiliary has contributed greatly to care in our region.
Quotes:
"Personalized Medicine increases patient safety and quality-of-care. The LHSC Auxiliary's donation will help transform the model of care at London Health Sciences Centre - and eventually worldwide - by incorporating personalized gene testing as a part of patient care."
Dr. Richard Kim, Chair/Chief, Clinical Pharmacology, London Health Sciences Centre
"This pledge supports LHSC's journey to fundamentally transform the way care is provided in our hospital and community - but the Auxiliary's contribution goes beyond the gifts, services and financial support they provide - these volunteers are truly great ambassadors for our hospital."
Murray Glendining, LHSC President and CEO, London Health Sciences Centre
"The commitment of the LHSC Auxiliary shows in the remarkable initiatives to improve patient care that they've supported in the past 92 years. The Auxiliary volunteers' care towards patients and families is most evident as they thoroughly consider how to designate the funds that they raise."
Tod Warner, Chair, London Health Sciences Foundation
"I am so proud of our LHSC Auxiliary members. Their dedication to our hospital, its staff and most of all its patients is the reason we can support LHSC like this. It's not uncommon for our members to volunteer 20 or 25 hours each week - and some of them have done so for 35 years."
Louise McKnight, President, London Health Sciences Centre Auxiliary
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London Health Sciences Foundation (LHSF) is a registered charity accredited by Imagine Canada and the Better Business Bureau, linking donors and health care experts together in pursuit of medical excellence at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). To see why doctors, researchers, nurses and staff at LHSC dedicate their lives to providing great patient care, to pursuing medical discovery and innovation, and to constantly improving through education; why patients are grateful for the extraordinary care they provide; and why donors and volunteers are so committed to supporting their vital work, visit www.lhsf.ca.
For more information: Alex Peterson, LHSF Public Relations Manager
follow: @AlexAtLHSF voice: 519.685.8527 alexander.peterson@lhsc.on.ca