69509 Genomics and Precision Medicine

Description

Precision medicine, also referred to as personalised or individualised medicine, is the tailoring of interventions for the prevention and treatment of disease to the individual characteristics of a patient. This includes individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person. The complete sequencing of the human genome, along with current advances in genome sequencing, has facilitated the development of precision medicine and its applications beyond genomics and into the entire spectrum of molecular medicine. As such, precision medicine holds great promise for the improvement of many aspects of health and healthcare, both now and in the future.

This subject provides students with the foundational information underpinning personalised medicine and its application in patients, including DNA structure, gene structure and function, genetic inheritance, genome sequencing, ‘omics’ technologies and the structure and function of the human genome. Some of the ethical, social, and legal issues associated with precision medicine approaches are also covered. Current examples, case studies and applications of precision medicine are used to highlight the benefits and challenges of the technology.