Why genetically-guided prescribing is key to safer care | Chukwunonso Nwabufo | TEDxUofTMississauga

Imagine healthcare as a vast ocean where every patient sails on a unique genetic tide, yet prescriptions treat us as if we all navigate the same waters. In his TED talk, translational pharmacologist Chukwunonso Nwabufo exposes the risks of this 'one-size-fits-all' approach and shares compelling data on adverse drug effects. He proposes a 'Genetic Insurance Number,' a personalized compass to guide patients toward safer, more effective treatments. His message: it's time to make personalized medicine mainstream—because health should never be left to chance.

Chukwunonso Nwabufo is an award-winning translational pharmacologist with over seven years of drug development experience in academia and the pharmaceutical industry. He contributed to developing Remdesivir and Lenacapavir for COVID-19 and HIV treatments, respectively, and developed novel therapeutics for Parkinson’s disease. His research work at the University of Toronto focuses on personalized medicine strategies to improve therapeutic efficacy and safety. He has received over 30 awards, including the CIHR Doctoral Awards, Emerging Academic Scholars Award, and Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award for his contribution to healthcare innovation. He has received $400,000+ in funding and authored 18 peer-reviewed papers. Nwabufo serves on the Editorial Boards of Drug Metabolism Reviews and the Journal of Applied Bioanalysis. He also chaired the Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Drug Metabolism Community of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, USA This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx