It’s been 13 years since scientists “sequenced” or read the first complete genetic code of a human being…[T]here’s still plenty we don’t know…[But] Dr. Eric Green, the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, gave four examples of [gene sequencing’s] amazing potential….
1. Cancer
[B]ecause scientists can read the genome of a cancer cell as easily as a normal cell, cancer doctors in the not-to-distant future will use genomic profiles of the specific tumors they are fighting to precisely manage the fight.2. Pharmacogenomics
Medicine today is “remarkably imprecise” in prescribing medication, Green said. But genomic screening is already finding the variations in people known to influence a particular medication’s effectiveness. Patients will soon begin getting medicines more tailored for them.
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3. Diagnosing rare genetic diseases.
Diagnosing rare genetic diseases through genetic sequencing, started in 2011….
“If you just don’t know what’s going on with your patient, you sequence their genome,” Green said of medicine today. “Don’t take this for granted. This was not obvious before 2011, but this has become now mainstream.”
4. Pregnancy genomics
Progress in pre-natal DNA sequencing is dramatic…Post-natal sequencing now takes 36 hours, Green said, and it is being used increasingly to diagnose diseases in newborns.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: 4 amazing things we’ve learned from genetics – and one big problem
