Genomic Medicine Series Provides Convenient Reference on Ethics, Potential of New Field

A recently completed series on medical genomics—the study of how genes interact with each other and with various non-genetic factors—provides a reference for physicians and scientists.  The series, appearing in the New England Journal of Medicine, was edited by W. Gregory Feero, M.D., Ph.D., Special Advisor to the Director for Genomic Medicine at the National Human Genome Research Institute and Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D., Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Launched in 2010, the series updates an earlier compendium of reviews edited by Dr. Guttmacher and Dr. Francis S. Collins (now National Institutes of Health director) on genomics that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002, as the project to sequence the entire human genome was nearing completion. The reviews in the new series describe trends in genomic medicine, and highlight research and practical applications of the new technology.

“Genomic technology has far reaching implications for medical research and health care,” Dr. Guttmacher said. “It has particular importance for the study of human development.  Deciphering the genetic interactions that guide the formation of tissues, limbs, and organs will not only provide understanding of typical development, but also lead to ways to intervene when the process goes astray —such as with birth defects and developmental disorders. Similarly, understanding how genetic and environmental factors interact, often early in life, to influence lifelong health will be a major focus of the next decades of biomedical research.”

The articles in the series, all of which are listed below, are available free of charge from the Web site of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Genomic Medicine: An Updated Primer External Web Site Policy
Ten Years On – The Human Genome and Medicine External Web Site Policy
Genomewide Association Studies and Assessment of the Risk of Disease External Web Site Policy
New Therapeutic Approaches to Medelian Disorders External Web Site Policy
Ancestry and Disease in the Age of Genomic Medicine External Web Site Policy
Genomics, Type 2 Diabetes, and Obesity External Web Site Policy
Genomics and the Continuum of Cancer Care External Web Site Policy
Genomics and Drug Response External Web Site Policy
Genomics and the Eye External Web Site Policy
Microbial Genomics and Infectious Diseases External Web Site Policy
Genomics, Health Care, and Society External Web Site Policy
Genomics of Cardiovascular Disease External Web Site Policy
Genomics and Perinatal Care External Web Site Policy
Genomics, Intellectual Disability, and Autism External Web Site Policy
Realizing Genomic Medicine External Web Site Policy

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About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute’s Web site at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.

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