Abstract

A woman with breast cancer takes a genetic test that predicts how active the tumors are and whether the benefits of chemotherapy outweigh the risks of side effects.A newlywed couple sends saliva samples to a start-up company to test for carrier genes for over one hundred inherited diseases, many of which are incurable or lethal.A heart transplant patient takes a blood test that detects patterns in gene expression to check for signs of rejection, making an invasive biopsy unnecessary.Each of the tests described above either exists or is under development. Now, ten years after the release of a working draft of the human genome, major changes have made their way into medical practice, the marketplace, research, and ..