Historical root of precision medicine: an ancient concept concordant with the modern pharmacotherapy

Pharmacogenomics and pharmacoproteomics are new sciences that their goal is achieving therapeutics with maximum results and minimal side effects for each individual due to the pattern of his genome and proteome. Although they considered new and high technology sciences but in distant past, Persian sages like Avicenna also knew about importance of “personalized medicine” and used specific patterns to detect individual differences in order to select suitable medication. Based on experience and analogy they divided individuals into different categories considering characteristics like body color, body temperature, sleep-awake pattern and skeletal structure. They also paid attention to effect of environmental conditions such as climate, job and the change of seasons on the influence of medication. Considering the low cost and ease of use of these experiences, it seems that researching their opinions can uncover the historical roots of modern pharmacoproteomics and can possibly infuse new ideas in this field.