In case you missed the excellent article by Matt Herper and Bob Langreth in Forbes, here are a few sample paragraphs and a link to the complete piece:
Genetics' Super Summer
The hunt for new genes has suddenly gone into overdrive.
Between the end of May and the beginning of September, scientists discovered telltale genetic markers that help predict the risk of nine major diseases, including breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease. Some of these newly discovered markers will be used soon in diagnostic tests; others will help researchers better understand the diseases in order to invent new treatments.
One use for new gene tests that is likely to come fast is in predicting which patients will be helped or harmed by a particular drug. This summer, a Pfizer AIDS drug, Selzentry, is approved only for patients who carry a particular version of an immune system gene, CCR5. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve more drugs only for use with people with particular genes, and is drafting guidelines for companies. Clinical Data , the latest effort from billionaire biotech investor R.J. Kirk, is being built around the idea of pairing drugs for depression and schizophrenia with gene tests.
An iffier area is predicting who will benefit or be hurt by a long-existing drug. The FDA added guidance suggesting the use of a gene test in picking the right dose of the blood-thinner warfarin, which is life-saving at the right dose but causes dangerous bleeding if a patient gets too much. Another promising area is the use of a gene test to keep from giving antidepressants to patients who might get suicidal thoughts from the medicines. But often these new findings aren't tested as rigorously.
Here's a link to the complete article:
http://www.forbes.com/sciencesandmedicine/2007/10/01/genetics-disease-cancer-biz-sci-cx_mh_1002genetests.html
The article's final sentence reads as follows, "Janet Woodcock, the FDA's chief medical officer, predicts "a lot of scientific uncertainty."
Indeed. But the Critical Path must not be the one less traveled. Because that will make all the difference.
Genetics' Super Summer
The hunt for new genes has suddenly gone into overdrive.
Between the end of May and the beginning of September, scientists discovered telltale genetic markers that help predict the risk of nine major diseases, including breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease. Some of these newly discovered markers will be used soon in diagnostic tests; others will help researchers better understand the diseases in order to invent new treatments.
One use for new gene tests that is likely to come fast is in predicting which patients will be helped or harmed by a particular drug. This summer, a Pfizer AIDS drug, Selzentry, is approved only for patients who carry a particular version of an immune system gene, CCR5. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve more drugs only for use with people with particular genes, and is drafting guidelines for companies. Clinical Data , the latest effort from billionaire biotech investor R.J. Kirk, is being built around the idea of pairing drugs for depression and schizophrenia with gene tests.
An iffier area is predicting who will benefit or be hurt by a long-existing drug. The FDA added guidance suggesting the use of a gene test in picking the right dose of the blood-thinner warfarin, which is life-saving at the right dose but causes dangerous bleeding if a patient gets too much. Another promising area is the use of a gene test to keep from giving antidepressants to patients who might get suicidal thoughts from the medicines. But often these new findings aren't tested as rigorously.
Here's a link to the complete article:
http://www.forbes.com/sciencesandmedicine/2007/10/01/genetics-disease-cancer-biz-sci-cx_mh_1002genetests.html
The article's final sentence reads as follows, "Janet Woodcock, the FDA's chief medical officer, predicts "a lot of scientific uncertainty."
Indeed. But the Critical Path must not be the one less traveled. Because that will make all the difference.
