*in an imaginary future*
Today is the day I get the sequencing results back. It is going be interesting to have finally a glimpse of my very own genome. At the same time I am afraid of the potential disease associations they might find in there. In any case I rather know it with time to do something about it. Thats it ... I exhale and open the main door to the building walking up the desk.
- Hi. I have an appointment with my genetic adviser.
- Oh yes, go up to the 3rd floor, they are expecting you.
I walk up a DNA shaped stairway and walk into the office of one of the attending specialists. He was the one convincing me of how useful it would be to purchase the GenomeSurvey(TM) package.
- I got your email. The results are in ?
- Yes, we have your genome fully sequenced and uploaded into your service of choice. I see you have picked Google Health as your storage provider as part of the package.
- Is there any bad news ? Will I have a serious disease soon ?
- I understand your concern. There is really nothing too serious, but I will come to that in moment. You may login with your Google account here and I can guide you through some of the results.
I login to my health page and I am confronted with the usual simple white-blue Google interface. I noticed the addition of a genome tab and let my adviser tell me more about it.
- As you can see, your genome as been uploaded to your account. It has also been submitted as an John Doe genome to the NCBI personal genomics database. You may select later to make your identity known and/or associate any of your personal history information to it.
- What about the disease associations ?
- Yes. So you can click here on the associations report to have a full listings of the phenotypic associations. You have a very healthy genome, no serious rare diseases. In your case the most important finding is that you have a 2% increased likelihood of developing a heart condition when you are above 60 and a 1% increased likelihood of having Alzeimer's disease after 65.
- That's it ? 2% ? 1 %?
- Well, that is assuming no prior knowledge on your diet and other personal history as established in the large HapMap version 10. From now on you may input into the forms provided in Google Health all your diet and other personal information on a daily basis and as the information accumulates the service will automatically update the probabilities. As your adviser I should tell you that this information can be used by Google to provide you with better targeted advertisement in all other Google products.
- Right ... is this it ? Does the package include anything else ?
- Of course ! As I mentioned to you before you can click here on the prescription tab to get an informal advice on how best to deal with the associations that were found for you. You should always discuss these suggestions with your doctor before doing anything. By company policy I cannot read this information with you, since we are not liable for this. You can read it at home when you get there.
- Well , if there is nothing else I will go.
- Thank you again for choosing our GenomeSurvey(TM) package I am happy to have served you and I hope that you feel more empowered about your own health. Be well.
I go home feeling a bit cheated but obviously happy of having no serious disorder in the horizon. I rush to my home computer to read the prescription that will help me prevent my heart condition and Alzeimers. I click the GoolgeDoctor(TM) button and a clip like avatar jumps around in the screen. A computerized voice reads aloud the text appearing in the screen:
Dear Pedro. You can call me clipy ! I will be your assistant for any of your health needs. In order to decrease the likelihood for the negative phenotypes associated to your genome please consider abiding by the following rules:
- Do a lot of exercise
- Eat a healthy diet
- Find balance in your life
*in an imaginary present*
- Snap out of it, what does your say ?
I look back to the small piece of paper in my hand and read:
- "You must find balance in your life", thats what it says.
- Well, these things are never wrong.
I drop the paper on my dish and finish eating the fortune cookie before leaving the chinese restaurant with my friends.
- You won't believe what I thought of ...
Further reading
The Future of Personal Genomics (21 September 2007 Science)
How much information is there really in personal genomes and how much should patients know ? Extra points for citing a post from Eye on Dna in a Science Policy Forum.
The Science and Business of Genetic Ancestry Testing (10th October 2007 Science)
A discussion surrounding results of genetic ancestry tests and the commercialization of these tests.
Google Says Its Health Platform Is Due In Early 2008 (17 October InformationWeek)
Google is still trying to build a platform to host the health related information. Microsoft already launched a service called HealthVault (read about it from Deepak).
BMC Medical Genomics (17 October BMC blog)
BMC will launch a journal dedicated to Medical Genomics, covering articles on "on functional genomics, genome structure, genome-scale population genetics, epigenomics, proteomics, systems analysis and pharmacogenomics in relation to human health and disease."
Do-it-yourself science (17 October Nature)
This editorial links up several news, opinions and articles in the last issue of Nature to ask the question - How much involvement can patient advocates have in genetics? The most impressive articles is the story of Hugh Rienhoff, a trained geneticist and biotechnology that decided to personally research about his daughter's disease (as in buying a PCR machine etc). (via Keith)
Common sense for our genomes (18 October Nature)
Steven E. Brenner explains the need for a Genome Commons. See discussion at bbgm.
Today is the day I get the sequencing results back. It is going be interesting to have finally a glimpse of my very own genome. At the same time I am afraid of the potential disease associations they might find in there. In any case I rather know it with time to do something about it. Thats it ... I exhale and open the main door to the building walking up the desk.
- Hi. I have an appointment with my genetic adviser.
- Oh yes, go up to the 3rd floor, they are expecting you.
I walk up a DNA shaped stairway and walk into the office of one of the attending specialists. He was the one convincing me of how useful it would be to purchase the GenomeSurvey(TM) package.
- I got your email. The results are in ?
- Yes, we have your genome fully sequenced and uploaded into your service of choice. I see you have picked Google Health as your storage provider as part of the package.
- Is there any bad news ? Will I have a serious disease soon ?
- I understand your concern. There is really nothing too serious, but I will come to that in moment. You may login with your Google account here and I can guide you through some of the results.
I login to my health page and I am confronted with the usual simple white-blue Google interface. I noticed the addition of a genome tab and let my adviser tell me more about it.
- As you can see, your genome as been uploaded to your account. It has also been submitted as an John Doe genome to the NCBI personal genomics database. You may select later to make your identity known and/or associate any of your personal history information to it.
- What about the disease associations ?
- Yes. So you can click here on the associations report to have a full listings of the phenotypic associations. You have a very healthy genome, no serious rare diseases. In your case the most important finding is that you have a 2% increased likelihood of developing a heart condition when you are above 60 and a 1% increased likelihood of having Alzeimer's disease after 65.
- That's it ? 2% ? 1 %?
- Well, that is assuming no prior knowledge on your diet and other personal history as established in the large HapMap version 10. From now on you may input into the forms provided in Google Health all your diet and other personal information on a daily basis and as the information accumulates the service will automatically update the probabilities. As your adviser I should tell you that this information can be used by Google to provide you with better targeted advertisement in all other Google products.
- Right ... is this it ? Does the package include anything else ?
- Of course ! As I mentioned to you before you can click here on the prescription tab to get an informal advice on how best to deal with the associations that were found for you. You should always discuss these suggestions with your doctor before doing anything. By company policy I cannot read this information with you, since we are not liable for this. You can read it at home when you get there.
- Well , if there is nothing else I will go.
- Thank you again for choosing our GenomeSurvey(TM) package I am happy to have served you and I hope that you feel more empowered about your own health. Be well.
I go home feeling a bit cheated but obviously happy of having no serious disorder in the horizon. I rush to my home computer to read the prescription that will help me prevent my heart condition and Alzeimers. I click the GoolgeDoctor(TM) button and a clip like avatar jumps around in the screen. A computerized voice reads aloud the text appearing in the screen:
Dear Pedro. You can call me clipy ! I will be your assistant for any of your health needs. In order to decrease the likelihood for the negative phenotypes associated to your genome please consider abiding by the following rules:
- Do a lot of exercise
- Eat a healthy diet
- Find balance in your life
*in an imaginary present*
- Snap out of it, what does your say ?
I look back to the small piece of paper in my hand and read:
- "You must find balance in your life", thats what it says.
- Well, these things are never wrong.
I drop the paper on my dish and finish eating the fortune cookie before leaving the chinese restaurant with my friends.
- You won't believe what I thought of ...
Further reading
The Future of Personal Genomics (21 September 2007 Science)
How much information is there really in personal genomes and how much should patients know ? Extra points for citing a post from Eye on Dna in a Science Policy Forum.
The Science and Business of Genetic Ancestry Testing (10th October 2007 Science)
A discussion surrounding results of genetic ancestry tests and the commercialization of these tests.
Google Says Its Health Platform Is Due In Early 2008 (17 October InformationWeek)
Google is still trying to build a platform to host the health related information. Microsoft already launched a service called HealthVault (read about it from Deepak).
BMC Medical Genomics (17 October BMC blog)
BMC will launch a journal dedicated to Medical Genomics, covering articles on "on functional genomics, genome structure, genome-scale population genetics, epigenomics, proteomics, systems analysis and pharmacogenomics in relation to human health and disease."
Do-it-yourself science (17 October Nature)
This editorial links up several news, opinions and articles in the last issue of Nature to ask the question - How much involvement can patient advocates have in genetics? The most impressive articles is the story of Hugh Rienhoff, a trained geneticist and biotechnology that decided to personally research about his daughter's disease (as in buying a PCR machine etc). (via Keith)
Common sense for our genomes (18 October Nature)
Steven E. Brenner explains the need for a Genome Commons. See discussion at bbgm.