KSH Essay Relaxation of regulation about genome analysis

From Biolecture.org

http://www.etnews.com/20160601000113

 

I think private genome analysis service will be important for all people in the world because we could check our own DNA and change our life style to cope with our own vulnerable diseases.

People will be able to know their genetic vulnerability by analyzing their own genome at private company.

If the cost is reasonable, I think many people will do their genome analysis at least one time in their life.

However, genome analysis is not cure-all.

As we studied in epigenomics, epigenetic modifications play an important role in gene expression and regulation without altering the DNA sequence.

It means that we could not predict some diseases only by analyzing our genome.

I don't know whether the current genome analysis can look through epigenetic modifications such as histone methylation and acetylation but I think that kind of analysis should be performed as well in the future.

However, our current knowledge about epigenetic modifications is still very little. So scientists have to research epigenetics to realize personalized medicine system.

And I think the government has to ease more regulation. Only 42 genes are not enough and even we cannot predict some severe diseases by analyzing small number of genes.

Will doctors lose their vested rights? I don't think so. There is still no certain cure for many gene-related diseases such as cancer.

By activating personal genome analysis, we could motivate people to have interest in their own genome and think about gene therapy

 

 

Seung-hoon Kim