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Current and Breaking News for Professionals, Consumers and Media |
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The study of “Genomics” is an emerging field, and the fact that to date some individuals even struggle to pronounce the name correctly, is indicative of how little knowledge is known about the subject in the general public. Currently, the genomic field is at too early of a stage for individuals to engage in personal genome testing, for even when used for educational, entertainment and illustrative purposes, it is very irresponsible, creates more harm than good and would open Pandora’s Box. One concern plaguing the medical community is with the insurmountable quantity of data available online, the ability to interpret and verify this information is not present. How much of the information posted is credible? How do individuals verify their findings? Simple health issues, for example, the correlation between target cholesterol levels and adverse cardiac events, though well researched and supported by long ranging public health initiatives, are still subject to heavy debate by the clinical community. With seemingly basic issues plaguing medical minds for years how are individuals not involved in the health industry expected to make sense of the more complex findings of genomic testing? The simple answer is that they should not be expected! It is critical that prior to individuals obtaining access to their personal genome, an authority must be created to regulate the entire industry. Currently, the industry is generally characterized by a variety of small firms which use numerous and diverse technologies to obtain a wide range of genomic findings for individuals. Test panels offered cover everything from ideal vitamins an individual should take, probability of contracting a chronic disease to how one would respond to a drug to familial heritage. There currently are minimal guidelines in place that define testing rigor, assay validation requirements, support for marketing claims or clinical utility of test panels. The genomic field is so new that even many clinicians do not know the ramifications of many tests or how to apply them in a patient setting for disease diagnosis and management. For those of us who haven’t attended medical school, being presented daily with a barrage of medical warnings can be alarming and may create unfounded health concerns. Add to this, personal genomes with a new lexicon of terms, developing technologies and unfounded medical conclusions and it is a recipe for disaster. There can be obvious benefits of participating in genomic testing. For instance, individuals with a family history of cystic fibrosis can discover the likelihood of having an offspring that would suffer from this terrible disease and appropriately make family planning decisions. However, the implications of genomic testing can be profound and because the correlations to clinical significance are not always known, these results can lead to erratic behaviors--ranging from benign to detrimental. An example of one extreme response to genomic testing can be found in the following case. Patient A is a 16 year old healthy female. She doesn’t smoke or drink, and follows a well balanced diet. She has no known health conditions, and maintains an athletic and active lifestyle. However, Patient A comes from a family with a long history of breast cancer. Her maternal grandmother and her aunt have both passed away from this cancer. Currently, she shows no indications of being affected by the disease; however, not wanting to take risks with her health, she has opted to get her personal genome tested. The results indicate that she has a 2% higher than normal chance of being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer than the average person. After undergoing routine mammogram screening tests, she receives a clean bill of health from her radiologist. Nevertheless after becoming aware of this “blip” on her genome and knowing the possible outcome, Patient A elects to take preventive measures by undergoing a full mastectomy at the age of 16. Clearly, this is a major medical decision; one that should not be substantiated by 1 test alone and should be followed with a lengthy discussion with a trained genetic counselor. It is widely known in the medical community that there are some diseases with pure genetic linkages, but many diseases are complex and caused by a combination of lifestyle choices, behaviors, environment, and of course genomics. Genomics can and will eventually will be a very powerful tool in the medical tool box. It will lead to earlier detection, better personal health management and targeted disease treatments to name just a few of its inherent advantages. However, as an infant field, genomics is neither ready for mainstream adoption nor routine use. Personal genome testing is not ready to be implemented and should only be done so with robust and thorough informed patient consent, in depth genetic counseling and left to the privacy of the individual. Editor's Note: Empire Genomics was created in 2006 from research started at the prestigious Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. The laboratory has a strong track record in the development of high throughput technologies to enable genome-wide analyses aimed at determining the underlying mechanisms for diseases. Having played a fundamental role in the Human Genome Project and created the foundational Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes which served as the basis for sequencing the genome, Empire Genomics developed significant expertise in genomic research. It is from this strong experiential base that we bring our capabilities, tools and techniques to support the research, clinical and drug discovery global community. Realizing the possibility of where genomics tools will take medicine is not difficult to see, however for this potential to become reality will take genomic solutions which are robust and permit the high resolution detection of genomic aberrations and their corresponding correlations to underlying phenotypes. Traditionally the field has been plagued with immature technological tools with too much inconsistency, no customization and uncontrollable variability. Empire Genomics is excited to bring its expertise to bear on these challenges. Empire Genomics is committed to working with the scientific community to bring the best in genomic technologies to bear on the complex systems biology questions that we collectively seek to answer. We will continually work to remove costly variation, inconsistency and the lack of reproducibility that has prevented the field from rapidly moving forward with discoveries. Anthony Johnson Chief Executive Officer In his role as Chief Executive Officer, Anthony is responsible for guiding the overall strategic vision and managing the day-to-day operations of Empire Genomics. He ensures Empire Genomics has a continually strong commercial offering and negotiates external ventures and alliances to help Empire Genomics maintain its leadership position in the fields of genetic research and diagnostics. Anthony brings considerable experience in the sales and management of products and services to the research and regulated fields. His creative perspective to implementing successful sales and marketing strategies, early stage funding, joint ventures and daily management are a strong asset to Empire Genomics. Formerly, in the capacity as Business Area Manager for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine for Invitrogen Corporation's GIBCO business unit, he coordinated and directed their entrance into the nascent stem cell market. In doing this, he connected a diverse suite of technologies and products ranging from cell culture products and antibodies to cell separation and quality control technologies to provide complete customer solutions. Prior to Invitrogen, he worked as a strategic business consultant, directed global sales and marketing activities within the pharmaceutical industry and played an integral role in the design and development of the global competitor intelligence system for the CRESTOR product of AstraZeneca. He's coordinated and signed deals with public, private and governmental organizations worldwide and will leverage these relations and experience for Empire Genomics. Anthony has a Bachelors of Science degree from Fisk University in Biology and holds an MBA in International Strategy from Manchester Business School - Manchester, England. He has also completed graduate level research in Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School. http://www.empiregenomics.com/main Subscribe to our FREE Ezine and be eligible for Health News, discounted products/services and coupons related to your Health. We publish 24/7. HealthNewsDigest.com Top of Page 
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