Assignment 3 Personalized Medicine Dawna Berry Introduction to Biology SCI 115 Professor Tamara Allen August 4, 2012

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First what is personalized medicine? Well, personalized medicine involves the ability of physicians to treat patients based on their own unique genetic makeup. Pharmacogenomics is a part of this exciting new field of medicine. Researchers working in pharmacogenomics focus on the link between genomic variation and pharmacological properties. Then Pharmacogenomics is the branch of pharmacology which deals with the influence of genetic variation on drug response in patients by correlating gene expression or single-nucleotide polymorphisms with a drug's efficacy or toxicity. By doing so, pharmacogenomics aims to develop a rational means to optimize drug therapy, with respect to the patients' genotype, to ensure maximum efficacy with minimal adverse effects. Such approaches promise the advent of "personalized medicine"; in which drugs and drug combinations are optimized for each individual's unique genetic makeup. Here is a benefit to personalized medicine and it will lead to genetic testing for common conditions and their treatments or cures. The cure may involve gene therapy, which will all so be the most efficient way to treat a disease. If you turn off the genes responsible for the disease, then it will never appear. The cure may even be applied in the womb. Personalized medicine will also eliminate the need for large-scale clinical trials, which will take a long time to complete and drive up the costs of drug developmentand ultimately the cost of drugs. Which drugs are all ready at an all time high and most people cannot afford them as it is. Drugs will only need to be tested on individuals who have the appropriate genetic profile. Another benefit to personalized medicine is that it has the potential to virtually eliminate the incidence of adverse reactions. Armed with precise data based on an individuals genetic profile, doctors will be able to administer the exact dosage a patient needs to gain maximum therapeutic effect. And that means reduced hospitalizations and more successful outcomes.

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Most interesting of all is the possibility of bringing back drugs that are recalled due to severe adverse effects. For example, a drug that was recalled because it causes kidney failure in 30 percent of patients could now be given safely and effectively to the other 70 percent of people not at risk for kidney failure. There is a downside and that is that millions of people are adversely affected by medications. Some have an allergic reaction, while others suffer from a side effect like bone marrow suppression, liver failure, stroke, heart attack, and so forth. Science has long been searching for a way not only to match the drug to the patient, but also to identify disease risk before the disease manifests. However, one might begin to worry about what will be done with genetic information after SNP information is gathered or genomes are sequenced. Congress passed the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA) which was subsequently signed into law by President George W. Bush. This bill essentially made it illegal for companies to alter insurance premiums based on a genetic predisposition to a given medical condition. Additionally, the bill prevents companies from using genetic information to influence hiring, firing, or promotion decisions. All this happened in 2008. I am beginning to wonder if this is what they want just like Hitler wanted a genetic perfect race. By the looks of what I have read it seems that is what it looks to me. All this testing they use can only be afforded by the rich because of personalized treatment remains a preserve for the rich because it involves genetic testing.

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References: The Benefts of Personalized Medicine. Anti Essays. Retrieved August 4, 2012, from the World Wide Web: http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/225344.html Gouthaman, P. Pharmacogenomics-The New Era of Personalized Medicine submitted February 22, 2011; Biotech Articles; retrieved August 4, 2012 from http://www.biotecharticles.com/Healthcare-Article/Pharmacogenomics-The-New-Era-ofPersonalized-Medicine-681.html The Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA); US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Enacted in 2008; retrieved August 4, 2012 from; http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/gina.cfm

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