Personal Genomics
Personal Genomics Curriculum
There has been much interest in both the scientific and lay press regarding personal genomics. Several companies allow individuals, for hundreds of dollars, to submit samples for genotyping to determine disease risk factors. This novel testing will affect the practice of all medical practitioners. As the physicians who manage the hospital laboratories, genomic testing may have the largest impact on pathologists. To help our residents understand this novel testing, we are adding a curriculum module in personal genomics that involves lectures, personalized genetic testing to our residents, and follow up presentations. To the best of our knowledge, this personal genomics training program is the first in the world of its kind and has generated intense interest both within and outside BIDMC. This program has three broad goals:
1. To become familiar with personal genotyping and its potential roles in preventative medicine, diagnosis and disease management.
2. To become familiar with next generation sequencing technologies and their applications in clinical and translational research and future medical practice.
3. To become familiar with methods of estimating the probabilities of developing a disease in the presence of a particular genotype.