Genetics promises new era of health
Email Print Normal font Large font Ruth Pollard Health Reporter
October 9, 2006 - 10:04AM
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AdvertisementSoon it will not be your family history that rings alarm bells in the GP's surgery. Instead, individual genes profiled from blood samples will alert doctors to your potential to develop a disease.
This new technology means consumers will have little choice but to take preventive action when faced with proof their lives might be at risk, says John Shine, the executive director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research. "You will be able to take a blood test and say, 'You are the one who will have a heart attack unless you reduce cholesterol and change your lifestyle.' "
In a new report, Professor Shine and nine other leading Australian researchers have predicted what they believe will be the medical breakthroughs of the future.
By the turn of the century, they forecast, doctors will be able to repair bad combinations of genes to avoid disease, grow new body parts to replace damaged organs and reconnect wiring in damaged spinal columns.
Genetics would also lead to new treatments for obesity and diabetes, Professor Shine said.
"We all know that diet and exercise are very important. The next step is to tackle the genetic part of that jigsaw - it won't be a panacea for obesity but ... it will make a huge difference."
Another example was the announcement last week that researchers had found a new marker for identifying aggressive prostate cancers.
The discovery would allow the development of individual treatment plans tailored to the level of aggression of the disease, he said.
And far from reducing humanity to a genetic sequence, the mapping of the human genome and stem cell research held the most promise for developments that will aid the prevention and treatment of disease.
The report, Then, Now ... Imagine, compiled by Research Australia, is released today and tracks scientific breakthroughs from the polio vaccine to treatments for bipolar disorder, the development of microsurgery and the discovery of DNA.
FIVE FORECASTS
New body parts for those with diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
Drugs to target cancer at the source.
New vaccines for HIV, hepatitis C and type 1 diabetes.
New nerve pathways to rewire damaged spinal columns and stimulate nerve regrowth.
Operating before birth to correct abnormalities.
Genetics and Obesity 
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