Word Count: 576 - Read Time: 2.8 minutes

Genetic Medicine

Genetaceuticals is an assortment of pharmaceutical products that have originated from genetic research. All diseases have genetic components, whether inherited or resulting from the body's response to the environment. Human genetic research will allow detection and prevent many diseases before they occur. The genetaceuticals or genetic-based medical treatments will cure or ease the effects of various diseases including Alzheimer's, Cancer, Osteoporosis, MS, Cystic Fibrosis, and Lou Gehrig's disease. Therapy may range from treatments for life-threatening diseases and psychological disorders to anti-aging issues such as baldness. Some of these genetic medicine treatments will be custom-made to meet the requirements of an individual's genetic makeup. Others will be widely used to correct environmental encroachments, viruses and toxins that may have affected certain populations or regions.

For the physician, the care for each patient is tailor-made. A genetic map of each patient in his/her care will provide a blueprint of instruction on what is needed to keep the patient healthy. This map will allow the physician to prescribe medications, diets, or other treatments to fit the needs of the individual. Moreover, physicians will be capable of alerting couples starting a family how to avoid hereditary diseases and malfunctions in their offspring. The physician can use normal genes to replace or supplement defective ones and/or bolster the immune system by adding a gene that suppresses tumor growth.

Today, an increasing number of gene tests are becoming available, but there are numerous debates on what implications they may have in the marketplace. Are humans prepared to know what their genetic history is before they live it? Additionally, because this information is shared, basically kept in a national database, can these maps endanger employment, health insurance and or social status?

The objective of medical science has always been to develop ways to treat or possibly prevent thousands of disease. But many challenges still exist, and new issues continue to occur. The traditional trial-and-error method of drug design itself is being reviewed. Researchers are developing new classes of drugs based on gene sequencing and protein structure. These drugs will target specific disease-causing molecules without attacking healthy cells or simply allow insulin to be inhaled rather than administered by a needle.

By the year 2025, Genetaceuticals will become routine. For now though, the field of genetic mapping is still far from an exact science. There are approximately 30,000 genes in human DNA that need to be identified. Add to that, 3 billion chemical-base pairs which make up human DNA that need to be sequenced. It's a huge project of molecular size.

Some doctors are warning patients against taking steps toward gene-testing, until more is known about the benefits. The biotechnology industry finds itself on the front lines of some of the great challenges of our time and the greatest rewards. The sale of DNA-based products and technologies is projected to exceed $45 billion by 2009.

UPDATE: 2003-07-24
The UK's, Department of Health yesterday unveiled a plan to revolutionize healthcare with the aid of gene therapy. It has pledged £50 million ($83 million) over the next 3 years to increase genetic testing technology, to support human gene therapy research, and to bring genetics-based healthcare into the primary care sector.

Information Resources:
Battelle Technologies
Human Genome Project
PhRMA Genomics Project
The Scientist
US Newswire
World Future Society