If you were able to look into the crystal ball and foresee just exactly how you were going to leave this world, would ya give it a whirl? Well, thanks to a brand new Australia-first genome-sequencing service you can find out how prone you are to developing life-threatening conditions, including 31 types of cancers. Yay!
Genome.One, brought to you by the boffins at Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, is now launching the $6,400 service that will be able to accurately tell you how you’d react to over 220 medicines, which in turn will allow doctors to prescribe and treat their patients better.
“Genetic information provides an entirely new dimension to understand your health, but its value is best realised in the context of other health data.
“Personal and family medical history and lifestyle are key components for consideration in this service,” he said.
Patients keen to undergo the procedure will have to give blood samples, which will provide the raw material needed to sequence a patient’s genome. On top of that, participants will undergo a physical, a pathology test and a review of their lifestyle risks like smoking and alcohol consumption. Basically, they’ll assess how loose you are.
Genetic counsellors will be there to guide patients the whole way through and explain and interpret final results to ensure no questions are left unanswered. Once the testing is out the way, Genome.One can refer patients for further testing or treatment at St Vincent’s outpatient clinics in Sydney and Melbourne.
“It’s not about giving people good news or bad news. It’s about explaining ‘you have a variation in your genes that causes an increased risk or say heart disease or cancer or another treatable condition’,” Genome.One genetic counsellor Mary-Anne Young said.
“Some people are taken aback at first. But the counterbalance is that it doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to develop the condition.
“It means they have a higher risk than the average person and they can take steps to reducing their risk,” she said.
If the large price tag and potentially knowing what deadly disease is going to off you doesn’t bother you, then have a gander at their website.
_________
If you have a story that you'd like to share, please submit it here.
