Genomic Diversity in Modern Medicine

Disease is the product of how the genes of individuals relate to the environment. The answer to why some people will contract a disease upon exposure (e.g., tuberculosis) and others will not is found in the makeup of the genome of each individual. The human genome is the blueprint of life; it provides the recipe for the anatomy, susceptibility, and behavior of disease. With advances in the understanding of the human genome, people are seeking insights into their unique genetic makeup, and scientists are engaged in developing therapeutic treatments that are targeted to each individual's unique genetic expression. For example, drug therapies are now based on average human responses to any given medication, but the fact is that no patient is really average; each person is unique, and how that person responds to a given medication depends on his/her genes. Not only will diseases such as cancer be better differentiated, but so, too, will be the range of modern therapies that target specific diseases. Gene expression profiling will help differentiate people in relation to disease. Advances in the reduction of uncertainty about the human condition will revolutionize the practice of medicine.