Background | Minnesota Precision Medicine Collaborative

The Minnesota Precision Medicine Collaborative (MPMC) at the University of Minnesota was established in late 2016 with seed funding by the Office of the Executive Vice President and the Provost's Grand Challenges Research Initiative, a campuswide effort to advance the research goals of the Twin Cities campus Strategic Plan, Driving Tomorrow.

MPMC is a transformative initiative to use 21st-century technologies—including genomics, informatics, bioengineering, analysis of environmental exposures, and behavioral sciences—to tailor health care to the challenges facing individuals and their communities. MPMC aims to make a unique contribution through collaborative research, cutting-edge innovation, responsible policy, and sustained commitment to improving health equitably across our communities.

What is Precision Medicine?

Precision medicine is an approach to disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment that seeks to maximize effectiveness for each individual and population by addressing biological, social, structural, and environmental determinants—from genomics and physiologic measures, to diet, to environmental exposures.

Although precision medicine typically focuses on the individual and their healthcare, it can also take the form of “precision prevention” that targets particular places or communities that can benefit from tailored behavioral or environmental intervention. These strategies can include modifying service delivery systems, facilitating transmission via social networks, and effecting large-scale environmental changes to reduce health disparities.