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You shouldn’t. And in the future, you won’t. Cracking
the human
genetic code has made personalised medicine a real possibility.
The more scientists learn about genes and proteins, the more we
realise that patients with the same symptoms, seemingly
resulting from the same disease, don’t necessarily have the
same root cause. So the first step is to create accurate
diagnostic tests and link these with targeted effective therapies:
‘The right drug for the right disease.’
The next step is to study how the unique genetic profile of each
individual affects which treatment is right for them. As you say,
we’re all one-offs. This affects how we respond to drugs and
whether we get side-effects. When this is fully understood, we’ll
be close to helping deliver the promise:‘The right drug for
the right patient.’
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