Preventive Medicine

An individual's genome influences his or her likelihood of developing (or not developing) a broad range of medical conditions, so personalized medicine focuses strongly on disease prevention and wellness.

For example, if a person's genotype indicates a higher-than-average risk of developing diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease or some form of cancer, that person may choose a lifestyle, or sometimes be prescribed medications, to better regulate the aspects of health and wellness over which he has control. The person may benefit in the long run from making preventive lifestyle choices that will help counteract the biological risk.

Researchers are actively investigating the genomic and genetic mechanisms behind—and developing predictive testing for—such diverse medical conditions as: Infectious diseases, from HIV/AIDS to the common cold, cancers, metabolic abnormalities, neuropsychiatric conditions, such as epilepsy, as well as adverse drug reactions or environmental exposure to toxins.