There's an interesting piece in Wired today about how shifts in the genomics industry could ultimately result in the "emergence of personalized medicine as the new standard of care."
In the article, Daniela Hernandez outlines some of the driving forces behind the industry's evolution and why such changes could make genetic testing more affordable and accessible for the general public. She writes:
Right now, most genetic testing happens in top-tier hospitals for conditions like cancer or rare genetic diseases and to test whether patients might have adverse reactions to certain medications. But it will likely become more mainstream as scientists and doctors learn more about the genome and genetic interpretation gets better and cheaper. Entrepreneurs are counting on it, and startups aiming to make genomic medicine as routine as having a blood test or getting an EKG are launching all the time.
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With big and small companies duking it out to make it big in this space, patients may stand to benefit. Whoever the top players in the industry end up being, they’ll likely compete on price and speed, which should not only decrease the strain on patients’ wallets but also on the anxiety they may feel while they await a diagnosis. Many genomic startups and even larger companies like Illumina are storing genetic data up in the Amazon cloud and making that data available through the web. Soon that data will be integrated with medical records and people will have 24/7 access to their whole genomes through mobile devices, like they do for their financial information today, says Stanford’s Dr. Euan Ashley, co-founder of another genomics startup, Personalis. “That future is not so far away.”
Previously: Stanford geneticist talks tracking biological data points and personalized medicine, When it comes to your genetic data, 23andMe’s Anne Wojcicki says: Just own it, Scientists announce the completion of the ENCODE project, a massive genome encyclopedia and Ask Stanford Med: Genetics chair answers your questions on genomics and personalized medicine
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