Personal Medicine Flashcards
What is personal medicine and how can it be tested
-Personal medicine is the use of targeted drugs to treat a variety of diseases in individuals with different genotypes
-These drugs are tested on synthetic cells; lab grown groups of cells that are genetically identical to some groups of individuals
What is the Human Genome Project and what are it’s uses in terms of development of medication
-The Human Genome Project involved the sequencing of the entire human genome
-Information gained from the HGP is stored in databases and genes that code for specific proteins are identified and analysed
-Knowledge of the structure and sequence of proteins associated with disease can allow the development of drugs that target the specific protein
-e.g if an enzyme is involved with disease, a drug can be developed that acts as an enzyme inhibitor
Genetic Screening (what does it allow for)
-Genetic screening allows for individuals with a higher chance of developing specific diseases to be identified, and therefore preventative measures can be taken
-Doctors can also use an individual’s genome to determine how well they will respond to specific treatments
Examples of preventative measures
-Certain genetic mutations are known to increase the risk of cancer, those with those gene mutations can have surgery early to reduce the risk
-People who know they are more genetically predisposed to cancer or heart disease can make certain diet and lifestyle choices, reducing their risk
Social,Moral and Ethical issues
-Research cost for drug companies will increase and cause the prices of the new medicine to increase, therefore personalised medicine may only be available to wealthier people
-Insurance companies/employers may use the personalised medical information to unfairly discriminate against certain people e.g if a person is more genetically predisposed to getting cancer or a heart attack, insurance costs will be higher
