APRIL 20188teve Jobs was among the first 20 humans in the world to get his DNA sequenced for a whopping $1,00,000, in hopes that it would throw some light on possible treatment options for his battle with pancreatic can-cer. Today DNA information serves as a second line of diagnosis for many serious conditions including cancers, Alzheimer's, and many rare genetic disorders that are caused by de novo mutations.It is not always necessary to se-quence all the 3 billion base pairs within you. Genotyping of selected genes that have been known to be associated with specific conditions is preferred among healthcare prac-titioners for economic reasons. Se-quencing is usually done at the last resort when all possible mutations have been tested and exhausted. Common variants of the gene en-coding the apolipoprotein (APOE), is a well known "hot-spot" for Alzhei-mer's disease (AD). Individuals with the risk variant (APOE e4) have 3-10 times the baseline risk than that found in individuals who have the non-risk variants. At the same time, there is evidence to show that indi-viduals with APOE e2 are genetical-ly protected against developing AD. Such information can be priceless while trying to manage a condition that currently affects more than 44 million people worldwide. About 34% of all the clinical-ly significant drug interactions are based on genetics. Patients affect-ed by conditions like familial hy-percholesterolemia, that require apheresis when left untreated, are prescribed drugs like atorvastatin, based on the genotype of the LDLR gene. Statins are a family of drugs known to have dangerous side-ef-HOW CAN PERSONAL GENOMICS LEAD TO BETTER HEALTH OUTCOMES?By Dr. Saleem Mohammed, CEO, Xcode Lifein IN MY OPINIONSPioneered in personal genomics and specialized in personalized preventive healthcare, Xcode aims to empower physicians, wellness professionals and individuals with the most validated, accurate and actionable genomic information, which in turn positively impacts and improves human health and quality of life.
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