[Perspective] Going with the flow
Imagine it is the middle of the night. A severe snow storm has hit the region, and your 3-year-old's fever is rising. You suspect a serious infection and cannot wait until the next morning to go to the pharmacy, yet the roads are impassable. No problem—you were recently granted access to a prototype machine no larger than a kitchen microwave that allows the user to synthesize their pharmaceutical of choice. You start up a smartphone app that has access to the family medical history and other relevant parameters, such as allergies and body weight. A few minutes later, you have consulted an emergency pediatrician through the app, inserted the relevant capsule, and pressed the start button. After a short wait, a single, personalized dose of the necessary antibiotic is ready for use. All this may sound like science fiction, but the report by Adamo et al. on page 61 of...