Lucknow: Patients in Uttar Pradesh are expected to get faster, more personalised and more affordable treatment after King George’s Medical University was nominated as the state’s first centre of excellence in precision medicine in acute care.Officials said the recognition is aimed at strengthening care for critically ill patients by enabling the university to expand advanced diagnostic and therapeutic services more quickly. Precision medicine, they said, focuses on tailoring treatment to an individual’s genetic profile, medical condition, test findings and response to drugs, instead of relying on a uniform approach.A major benefit highlighted by doctors is faster infection detection through multiplex PCR testing. The test can deliver key diagnostic results in around eight hours, compared with nearly 72 hours using conventional methods. Clinicians said this reduction in turnaround time can help doctors make treatment decisions earlier, which is crucial in intensive care settings.Cost was cited as another advantage. KGMU offers multiplex molecular screening for about Rs 2,000, while similar testing can cost around Rs 15,000 in private hospitals, making advanced diagnostics more accessible for a wider section of patients.The centre has also introduced pharmacogenomic testing to assess how a patient’s genes influence drug response. KGMU is also focusing on antimicrobial resistance by rapidly identifying infections and resistance markers, enabling more targeted antibiotic use.Prof Avinash Agrawal of the department of critical care medicine said the centre has carried out over 80,000 tests since 2023, including molecular diagnostics and pharmacogenomic investigations, and that the designation will further boost its capabilities.Vice-chancellor Prof Soniya Nityanand said the aim is to translate scientific advances into routine care and extend precision medicine to ordinary citizens.
