Clinical practice is moving towards the era of personalized healthcare, where understanding biological processes at the molecular level will enable healthcare professionals to implement tailored treatment for the patient. This higher level of treatment personalization, based on the molecular biological characterization of disease, is then referred to as precision medicine.
Currently, precision medicine is primarily implemented in the field of oncology (so-called precision oncology). It represents an innovative treatment approach enabling cancer patients to create individualized treatment plans based on the biological characteristics of their tumors. This principle has been successfully applied in both adult and pediatric oncology.
Another extensive area where the principles of precision medicine are applied is in the field of rare and ultra-rare diseases. More than 80 % of these diseases have a genetic origin. Diagnosis and treatment of these diseases can be challenging due to the limited number of patients (often very small number or low tens of patients worldwide) and the lack of information. Patients and their families usually face lengthy and complex diagnostic processes that can take several years, sometimes referred to as a “diagnostic odyssey“. The aim of precision medicine in rare diseases is to identify and comprehensively describe the genetic basis of the disease. This approach not only enhances understanding of the individual clinical manifestations of the patient but also, where feasible, facilitates the development of appropriate treatment or long-term management plans.
The clinical application of precision medicine is very closely linked to translational research, which plays a crucial role in the timely implementation of new scientific results into clinical practice. Therefore, physicians and professionals focusing on precision medicine are often also active researchers who push the boundaries of their fields toward the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. All areas of precision medicine, including research, are characterized by the fact that they require costly infrastructural, technological, and personnel resources.
The Center for Precision Medicine of the University Hospital Brno brings together experts from various fields of precision medicine and their clinical and research activities into one joint interdisciplinary center. The Center aims at coordinated and efficient development in this field, which will also enable rapid implementation of new technologies and approaches of precision medicine into clinical practice and thus ensure the availability of the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic solutions for patients of the University Hospital Brno.
University Hospital Brno is a pioneer across various fields of precision medicine in Czech Republic. Beginning with precision oncology in pediatric patients, where the Department of Paediatric Oncology became the first in the Czech Republic and the entire CEE region to implement these precision medicine into practice a decade ago, to the area of undiagnosed pediatric patients, where the first outpatient clinic for undiagnosed pediatric patients in the Czech Republic was opened at the Department of Pediatrics of the University Hospital Brno in September 2023. The successful introduction of precision medicine into clinical practice at the University Hospital Brno has resulted in hundreds of successfully treated cancer patients, children who, after many years of diagnostic odyssey, received their genetic diagnosis, their siblings who were born healthy, and human stories that would never have happened without precision medicine and the medical specialists of the University Hospital Brno.
News
8.7.2026 New scientific article on rectal cancer: Analysis of MSI status and its impact on standard therapy
On 2 July 2026, an article entitled “Mismatch repair deficiency or microsatellite instability in locally advanced rectal cancer patients treated with total neoadjuvant therapy” was published in the international peer-reviewed journal called European Journal of Surgical Oncology.
This article evaluates the oncological outcomes of patients with locally advancer rectal cancer (LARC) treated with total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT), with a particular focus on the prognostic significance of mismatch repair/microsatellite status (MMR/MSI).
The analysis included patients enrolled in the International Real-World Study of TNT in Rectal Cancer whose dMMR/MSI-H status had been determined by immunohistochemical and/or molecular genetic testing. Pathological complete response (pCR), complete response (CR, pCR + clinical complete response), event-free survival (EFS), and overall survival (OS) were assessed by MMR/MSI status, both in the overall and matched populations.
One of the co-authors of the article is Michal Eid, M.D., a member of the Center for Precision Medicine at University Hospital Brno, whose research focuses on precision oncology in adult patients.
The publication is available through ScienceDirect, one of the world´s largest platforms for scientific literature.
13.4.2026 Center for Precision Medicine of University Hospital Brno establishes cooperation with the patient organization Maly Odyseus
The Center for Precision Medicine (CPM) of University Hospital Brno signed a memorandum of cooperation on April 10, 2026, with the newly established patient organisation Maly Odyseus, which supports undiagnosed children and patients with ultra-rare diseases.
The organization supports undiagnosed pediatric patients and with ultra-rare diseases. Among other activities, it provides social and legal counseling, supports pediatric patients and their families, and works to raise awareness about undiagnosed children patients and about ultra-rare diseases.
The memorandum creates a platform for strengthening mutual cooperation and advancing precision medicine in the above-mentioned areas. At the same time, it establishes a framework for joint activities aimed at improving the understanding of the needs of these patients, sharing experience, and increasing awareness of this topic. The cooperation will also include the organization of meetings and educational activities, as well as the development of informational materials for patients, their families, and the general public.
19.1.2026 The official report from the in-situ visit in Brno is now available
At the end of last year, the Centre for Precision Medicine (CPM) at University Hospital Brno hosted a significant in-situ visit organised by the European Partnership for Personalised Medicine (EP PerMed) in cooperation with the International Consortium for Personalised Medicine (ICPerMed). The event followed the first joint EP PerMed and ICPerMed conference held in Prague and focused on the exchange of knowledge, the presentation of best practice examples, and discussions on further development opportunities for personalised medicine in Europe.
The main outcome of the meeting is an official report providing a comprehensive overview of the two-day programme, key presentations, expert discussions, and the main conclusions of the visit. The document covers the presentation of CPM at University Hospital Brno, examples of best practice from France and Sweden, expert contributions in the fields of oncology, advanced therapies, and tissue engineering, as well as a visit to research laboratories at CEITEC Masaryk University and University Hospital Brno.
The full report is available on the EP PerMed website or can be downloaded via this link.
