Is Personalized Medicine at our Doorstep? - by Simon Evans

Is Personalized Medicine at our Doorstep? - by Simon Evans: "Personalized medicine is coming. What does that mean? It means that our genes will determine what type of medical treatment we get. We know, in any disease, that some people respond favorably to therapy while others do not. We assume that this is partially due to our genes. Some studies have shown correlations between the genes that a patient has and their response to specific medications.

One example is new study that will look at the interaction between a patient's genes and treatment with the blood thinning drug, warfarin. Over two million Americans that are at risk of stroke currently take this drug to prevent blood clotting. The problem is that patients all need different amounts to keep their blood at the right clotting potential. Too much drug can lead to excessive bleeding because the blood is too thin. Too little drug and the blood gets too thick, meaning it can clot easily and lead to stroke. Currently doctors determine these doses by trial and error, monitoring patients very closely until they find the right amount. The new study will follow 1,000 at-risk stroke patients after genetic fingerprinting to see if a patient's unique genes can predict their optimal dose.

This is the goal of personalized medicine, not just for warfarin, but for all drugs and non-drug therapies. Sounds like a great idea, right? Th"