The Benefits Of Personalized Medicine

Words: 515
Pages: 3

After the success of the Human Genome Project in determining the sequence of the 3 billion units of DNA that make up the human genome, scientists are within reach of using the information gathered to drastically transform healthcare. The belief is that genome-based medicine, or personalized medicine, is the next obvious step in a world where the knowledge about disease, wellness, and human genetics is rapidly growing. Personalized medicine acknowledges that every human has a unique set of environmental, clinical, genetic, and genomic information that influences a disease’s onset, course, and treatment and translates this information into more precise diagnoses and directed therapies. The benefits that personalized medicine may provide both patients and clinicians are vast. Through information about a specific patients genetic and environmental factors, physicians will be able to make more informed medical decisions which could yield a higher probability of desired outcomes due to more precisely-targeted therapies. Additionally, the reduction of harsh side effects from certain drugs could be reduced by knowing a person’s …show more content…
As researchers continue to obtain more and more information about the human genome the ability to correctly interpret data becomes increasingly challenging. A misevaluated test result could lead to elevated patient anxiety at a minimum, with potential for even more severe consequences such as unneeded surgeries. Part of the issue can be attributed to the fact that there is a lack of genetics expertise among practicing physicians, many of whom went to medical school prior to the human genome being sequenced. Ideally, genetic specialists could fill in the areas of knowledge that general practicians lack, however there is currently a shortage of trained medical