Sex and gender differences as the gateway to precision medicine – The work of the Women’s Brain Project
Speaker: María Teresa Ferretti
Institution: Women’s Brain Project (Switzerland)
Place: Jerónimo Forteza conference room, CIPF
Abstract:
In recent years, cumulating evidence has indicated that high variability exists among people living with a variety of brain and mental disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease. Far from being one entity, we are starting to identify disease subtypes, which might require tailored approaches for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. Precision medicine, as applied in oncology, might provide substantial progress in the field, from molecular diagnosis to tailored therapeutics.
In this regard, sex and gender differences are emerging as leading features driving patient heterogeneity in brain and mental disorders. These differences offer therefore a useful starting point to discuss potential applications of precision medicine in neurology.
In this talk I will provide the state of the art on sex and gender differences in brain research. Taking Alzheimer and Parkinson as examples, I will present the latest evidence on clinically relevant sex (i.e. biological) and gender (i.e. socioeconomic) differences and their implications for clinical research and practice. As risk factors, symptoms and response to treatment vary between men and women, tailored prevention, diagnosis and treatment should take sex and gender into account.
A proper understanding of sex- and gender differences will be key towards a precision medicine paradigm in neurology, which takes into consideration the specific needs of each patient and their caregiver.
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