With human genome mapping, the omics revolution and the empowering sequencing technologies developed at the turn of the century, the new goals in medicine are to switch from population medicine to individualized therapies, not only to cure diseases but also to prevent them. The purpose of this review by the pharmacogenetics and predictive medicine working group of the French clinical biology society (SFBC) is to situate in their correct context the notions of personalized medicine, pharmacogenetics, genetics and genomics, emphasizing their interactions and discussing their significance for researchers and clinicians.