Monterey, CA DNA Sequencing Gives New Hope To Many

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I've written many times on my blog about the Human Genome Project and other research areas scientists are working on which could dramatically change the way diseases are treated.  Someday, there will be something called "personalized medicine" whereby doctors will treat different people with the same disease with completely different drugs and procedures.  This will be based on their DNA, which will tell physicians which course of action will be most effective.  Researchers are now putting some children through a complete gene sequence searching for disease-causing mutations.  These tests are expensive but they have already declined in price from tens of thousands of dollars to between $7,000 and $9,000 for a whole family to go through the DNA sequencing.  Although this process finds a genetic aberration in only 25-30% of cases, this is powerful information that these families will have for the rest of their lives.  As they grow older and signs of a particular disease develop, the DNA testing will enable their physicians to provide a more targeted treatment.  It's likely that someday the cost of these tests will become so low that it will be a normal test that most people will have to understand their genetics and predisposition to some diseases.