With the rapid drop in the cost of whole genome sequencing, there is
widely held hope that we will be entering an era of medicine that will
allow doctors to predict and prevent disease in part through the
information they glean from an individual’s genome. But a new study
raises questions about its predictive value.
In a study published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers at
Johns Hopkins University used records on thousands of identical twins in
registries in several Northern European countries, as well as a
registry of twins held by the National Academy of Sciences. Identical
twins have matching genomes. The researchers looked at how well the
genome predicted an individual’s disease by seeing how often an
individual with a specific disease had a twin who also suffered from the
same disease. They argue that such an approach would suggest how well
genome sequencing could predict risk for disease.
“We believe that genomic tests will not be substitutes for current
disease prevention strategies," says Bert Vogelstein, professor of
Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, co-director of the
Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics. “Prudent screening, early diagnosis
and prevention strategies, such as not smoking and removing early
cancers, will be the keys to cutting disease death rates.”
for more:
http://www.burrillreport.com/article-predictive_value_of_whole_genome_sequencing_questioned.html
Showing posts with label Genomes Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Genomes Project. Show all posts
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