Convergence of Health Technologies in the Era of Personal Genomics

Affordable and reliable genotyping services are on the road to commoditization, empowering individuals to take control of their health information. The digitalization of genetic data is becoming one of the key drivers for the development of electronic medical records. The online retail of direct-to-consumer genetic tests creates a strong convergence between sequencing techniques and health information technologies (HIT). We analyze to what extent this convergence is creating unprecedented health services for: 1/ Patients (prevention through early diagnosis and adoption of a healthier lifestyle); 2/ Health professionals (targeted prescriptions based on patients’ genotype); 3/ Health insurers (risk assessment and health coverage); 4/ Research organizations (access to stratified epidemiological databases). More broadly, we analyze a paradigm shift, i.e. how HIT and personal genomics are creating new forms of integrated biomedical approaches, where economic value is increasingly correlated to a systemic solution rather than the addition of isolated products and devices.