The use of personalised medicine in CVD
The EU defines personalised medicine as tailoring prevention and treatment to the individual, using characteristics such as molecular, imaging, digital, and lifestyle data to deliver the right care to the right person at the right time.
"Personalised cardiology goes beyond person-centred care – it accounts for each person’s underlying biology to better understand and treat cardiovascular disease. With better data and integrated biomarker use, we could translate this into tangible benefits for patients.”
The iCARE4CVD consortium believes this approach could address long-standing gaps in cardiovascular care – where variation in risk, disease progression, and treatment response means some patients may benefit less from standard therapies – while reducing missed opportunities for early, targeted interventions.
Barriers slowing implementation
Turning this vision into reality requires more than medical insight — it depends on robust data and supportive infrastructure, as Kee Hovingh underlines:
"Personalised cardiology means delivering the right treatment to the right patient at the right time. To make this a reality, we must better understand individual disease trajectories by combining biomarkers from diverse cohorts. Through iCARE4CVD’s broad expertise, we can help shape a new modus operandi in Europe when it comes to data infrastructure, interpretation, and regulation"
These needs, however, highlight the obstacles slowing adoption: fragmented data, complex regulatory pathways, inadequate reimbursement models, and limited incentives for health systems to change. Without targeted action, these barriers risk widening the gap between innovation and patient access.
Five actions for the EU Cardiovascular Health Plan
To fully unlock the benefits of personalised medicine and strengthen prevention, early detection, management, and rehabilitation, the ICARE4CVD consortium recommends:
- Build a Europe-wide ecosystem for personalised medicine in CVD.
Fragmented datasets and siloed systems hinder collaboration. A pan-European ecosystem with shared registries, interoperable records, and coordinated governance is essential. - Promote biomarker integration and adapt regulatory pathways for personalised tools.
Biomarkers are critical for precision care but remain underused. Clearer EU guidance and faster regulatory approval could accelerate their clinical uptake. - Advance the implementation of the European Health Data Space (EHDS).
Rapid, secure, and practical rollout of EHDS will enable predictive, AI-driven care while safeguarding trust and privacy. - Invest in EU research and implementation of personalised medicine approaches in CVD.
Dedicated funding is needed to validate new models in real-world settings, close research gaps, and ensure inclusion of women and high-risk populations in research. - Place the patient voice at the centre of personalised cardiovascular care.
Patients should co-design research and care pathways to ensure innovations improve quality of life as well as clinical outcomes.
The iCARE4CVD consortium believes these measures would strengthen equity across Member States, close Europe’s cardiovascular research and innovation gap, and position CVD as a testbed for patient-centred innovation.
