David Geldmacher, M.D.The Hugh Kaul Personalized Medicine Institute recently awarded two collaborative pilot implementation projects to advance precision medicine at UAB. 
Warner Huh, M.D.David Geldmacher, M.D., professor in the Department of Neurology, will lead a project focused on using patient-specific genetic information to select medications to help attenuate behavioral and psychiatric symptoms in patients with dementia. Warner Huh, M.D., director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, and Rebecca Arend M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, will conduct molecular profiling on patients with recurrent ovarian cancer which may enable selection of more targeted treatment against the deadliest gynecologic cancer.The Personalized Medicine Institute grants were created to support projects designed to demonstrate the feasibility of, and develop methods for, incorporating a patient’s genetic profile into their medical treatment. The two projects were awarded $150,000 each to implement personalized medicine in patients with well-defined disease over a two-year period.
Rebecca Arend, M.D. “These pilot projects will provide a more fundamental integration of patient-specific factors into tailoring personalized treatment plans, building the foundation of incorporating genomic information into guiding clinical decisions,” said Nita A. Limdi, Pharm.D., Ph.D., interim director of the Hugh Kaul Personalized Medicine Institute. “This is an exciting time for UAB as we move forward to truly transform care for our patients in Alabama and beyond.”