Close up of laboratory microscope (Matthew Jones)
"Without question, man's knowledge of man is undergoing the greatest revolution since Leonardo. In many ways personalized medicine is already here." - Dr. Francis Collins
That quote, from Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, was used at the beginning of a report on genetic testing by UnitedHealth Group's Center for Health Reform & Modernization.
The report, "Personalized Medicine: Trends and prospects for the new science of genetic testing and molecular diagnostics," was released in March.
For the paper, the organization surveyed the public on their familiarity with genetic testing. While 71 percent said they were familiar with the concept, only one in two indicated they were knowledgable about genetic science.
So the Los Angeles News Group spoke with doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to shed light on this rapidly evolving field of health care.
Genetic testing analyzes a person's genetic material, including genes and biomarkers. While a person's complete DNA can be decoded, a process called whole genome sequencing, researchers don't know how to interpret all of the information quite yet. Currently, tests can be used to detect 2,500 conditions, according to UnitedHealth.
"The whole genetic testing story is linked to an entire paradigm in medicine that is evolving, and that is personalized medicine," says Dr. Mahul Amin, chairman of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at
Amin's research focuses on uncovering biomarkers for cancer - particularly of the prostate, bladder, kidney and testis - that will allow for personalized treatment of patients with these diseases.
A biomarker is a biochemical, genetic or molecular characteristic that acts as an indicator of a particular biological condition.
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Advances in genetic testing allow for more personalized medical treatments