Personalization in health care is being pushed to a new level by the emerging outcomes of the genomics revolution and the realization that there are differences in the ways people respond to treatments and drugs depending on their genetic makeup. Yet, the issue of outcomes also becomes a driver for standardization and leading accepted practices because clinical evidence shows that standardized treatments may produce better outcomes. In addition, the more customized health treatments become, the more complex – and expensive – they become. How can biotechnology companies standardize research and development to reduce costs and time-to-market while taking advantage of the personalization opportunities afforded by genomics and proteomics? This is one of many challenges facing the industry as a result of the growing tension between personalization and standardization.

The Life Sciences & Health Care practice recently joined forces with the Institute for the Future to explore this and other key industry tensions and to create a framework for thinking about the choices we face today and will likely face in the future. The result is Industry Compass, a suite of tools to help analyze and plan for the road ahead. In the Industry Compass perspective “Personalization vs. Standardization,” specialists in the industry discuss how competing drivers and priorities around customization of care and treatments present challenges and opportunities for biotech and other life sciences companies, providers, health plans and consumers. For your convenience, you can download and print this article. To learn more about the other critical tensions that are expected to cause ripple effects throughout the health care system over the next five years and beyond, visit www.industrycompass.com.