by Robbie Pangilinan
Cancer is being conquered and may even be eliminated thanks to Genomics. Scientists and clinicians can now “personalize” medicine – allowing for disease prediction, prevention and treatment tailored to each patient’s unique genetic makeup. Genomics is the field of science that studies an organism’s entire genome or DNA sequence. Genomics analyzes the relationship between genetics and traits, and uses the data to answer scientific questions and solve practical problems, explains Jeffrey J. Seitz, founder of PHIX Genomics Inc.
How can genomics lead to a cure for cancer and many other diseases? “One person differs from another by millions of variations in the genome, and many of these variations affect susceptibility to disease and response to treatments. Doctors will be able to assess a person’s risk of disease and recommend preventative measures and physicians will be able to prescribe the most effective drugs with the fewest side effects, based on the patient’s genome-driven response to those drugs,” says Seitz.
Today’s sequencing technologies are easier, faster, and much less expensive. When the first human genome was sequenced around 2003, turn-around time was more or less 5 years, and the cost was 2 to 3 billion dollars! Today, millions of genomes are being analyzed, a whole genome can be sequenced in just one day, and soon it will cost as little as 100 dollars! This results in clinical genomic diagnostic testing rapidly becoming a standard of care for many hereditary and acquired conditions. Genomics has changed the way scientists approach their research, empowering them to look for the minute differences that provide new understanding of disease and biology, leading to commercialization,” adds Seitz. Mr. Seitz is currently Vice President of D-MARK Biosciences, Canada’s premier provider of advanced solutions for genomics and molecular biology and he is determined to bring the benefits of Genomics to the Philippines.
PHIX Genomics is a pioneer in the Philippines, focused on clinical genomic diagnostics. It is the first commercial company that will establish a clinical lab and develop the very first Filipino specific genome database. Seitz sees PHIX Genomics having a significant beneficial impact on the health and prosperity of Filipinos.
Wait and see. Therapeutic development has already been transformed by Genomics. With the exponential rate of development in Genomics, elimination of Cancer may come sooner than expected
