April 2, 2012

Gene Maps Are No Cure-All

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A new study warns that scientists can't predict most diseases for most people by mapping their genomes, raising a flag about a nascent technology that has been expected to ring in an era of tailored treatments. Mapping a person's genome, or genetic blueprint, "is not a crystal ball," said Bert Vogelstein, co-author of the study and professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. "And this is a reality check." The paper "is making a statement about how complex it is for most diseases" to be assessed using the technology, said Gianrico Farrugia, director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine, which is studying the use of whole-genome sequencing in the routine care of patients.

 

 

Wall Street Journal by Gautam Naik   4/2/12

Tags: Bert Vogelstein, Dr. Gianrico Farrugia, genetic blueprint, genomes, Genomics, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Research

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