Genomics is changing medicine in ways that were unthinkable a few years ago. A decade-long genome revolution has made it possible to envision the personalization of medical care, and the identification of new targets for treating and controlling infectious agents. These developments have prompted much excitement and offered the promise of a future with better health. It will soon become economically feasible for each of us to gain access to our full DNA blueprint. We can now begin to ask: How does my genetic makeup differ from that of others? How will these differences impact my health in the future? And, what does my genome foretell about the likelihood of disease or response to treatment?
The knowledge of one’s DNA sequence does not automatically tell us about the susceptibility to disease or response to a given drug regimen. Individual genomes are vast, consisting of 3 billion DNA bases and containing millions of small and large variations. Similarly, even relatively simple organisms such as viruses and bacteria contain an abundance of genetic diversity, which enables them to evolve to evade therapeutics and adapt. Translating these DNA data into medically useful information presents a new grand challenge in basic biomedicine. A thorough understanding of human and pathogen genomes is an essential first step in this endeavor.
Each month, innovative research from the Biodesign Institute appears in the world’s premier scientific journals. Many such studies have graced the covers of these journals, showcasing Biodesign research ranging from water remediation to nanometer-scale structures built from DNA.
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