Drug Repurposing in Personalized Medicine: Translational Pathways and Recommendations

Kelechi Wisdom Elechi; Enibokun Theresa Orobator; Ogadah  Cletus Okechukwu; Victor Chiedozie Ezeamii; Akinwale  Stephen Akingbule; Izuchukwu  Gerald Ezema; Irene  Adjoa Anderson; Emmanuel Segun Oluwagbade; Ayodele Ezekiel; Kayode Abidemi John

doi:10.5530/gjpb.2025.3.7

Authors

Kelechi Wisdom Elechi Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX, USA. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0691-4180
Enibokun Theresa Orobator College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Ogadah Cletus Okechukwu Department of Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Medicine, First Moscow State Medical University, Sechenov, Russia.
Victor Chiedozie Ezeamii Georgia Southern University, USA.
Akinwale Stephen Akingbule Harnett Health Internal Medicine, Dunn, North Carolina, USA.
Izuchukwu Gerald Ezema Faculty of Dentistry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Irene Adjoa Anderson Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Emmanuel Segun Oluwagbade Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, USA.
Ayodele Ezekiel Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo, Nigeria.
Kayode Abidemi John Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX, USA.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5530/gjpb.2025.3.7

Keywords:

Drug repurposing, Personalized medicine, Translational pharmacology, Precision healthcare, Biomarker-guided therapy

Abstract

This review examines the integration of drug repurposing and personalized medicine as complementary approaches to transforming healthcare delivery. Drug repurposing identifies new therapeutic uses for existing medications with established safety profiles, while personalized medicine tailors treatments to individual patient characteristics. This integration offers reduced development time and costs, expanded options for rare and complex diseases, and targeted interventions based on patient-specific biomarkers. The manuscript explores translational pathways, including drug-centric, target-centric, and disease-centric approaches, as well as emerging computational and AI methodologies. Case studies in neurological disorders, oncology, and seizure disorders demonstrate successful applications. Despite promising outcomes, challenges persist across regulatory frameworks, intellectual property protection, data integration, and the management of biological variability among patients. Recommendations include strengthening regulatory support, developing robust validation pipelines, promoting open-source, collaborative models, and leveraging AI and big data technologies. Through coordinated stakeholder efforts, drug repurposing in personalized medicine can become a cornerstone of precision healthcare, providing more effective, patient-tailored treatments.