Genetics 101
Dr. Bassem Bejjani explains how the study of genes and the development of new technologies can lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of disease.
The first Science & Technology Discovery Series of 2007 featured a presentation by Dr. Bassem Bejjani, Research Professor at Washington State University Spokane and the Medical Director of Signature Genomics Laboratories, LLC. Dr. Bejjani’s research at WSU Spokane focuses on rare eye diseases such as congenital glaucoma and keratoconus.
By gaining an understanding of how a single gene disorder can cause significant problems in eye development, he explained, researchers will be able to better understand healthy development. Offering Discovery Series members a crash course in genomics, Dr. Bejjani highlighted the many ways the field is having an impact on medicine – from diagnosis, to prognosis, to a more rational approach to the design of therapeutics – and the exciting promise this area of research holds for the future.
Did you know...?
Science & Technology Discovery Series is sponsored by:
Armfield, Harrison & Thomas, Inc., Perkins Coie, and Swedish Medical Center
The first Science & Technology Discovery Series of 2007 featured a presentation by Dr. Bassem Bejjani, Research Professor at Washington State University Spokane and the Medical Director of Signature Genomics Laboratories, LLC. Dr. Bejjani’s research at WSU Spokane focuses on rare eye diseases such as congenital glaucoma and keratoconus.
By gaining an understanding of how a single gene disorder can cause significant problems in eye development, he explained, researchers will be able to better understand healthy development. Offering Discovery Series members a crash course in genomics, Dr. Bejjani highlighted the many ways the field is having an impact on medicine – from diagnosis, to prognosis, to a more rational approach to the design of therapeutics – and the exciting promise this area of research holds for the future.Did you know...?
- Each year in the United States, approximately 120,000 babies are born with a birth defect or suspected genetic disorder.
- Technologies like “FISH” – fluorescence in situ hybridization – and microarrays aid in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. FISH enables researchers to divide chromosomes into single strands to examine specific genes. Microarray technology can be used to identify which genes are over-expressed or under-expressed in patients who have cancer.
- Most major drugs are effective in only 25-60% of patients, and more than 2 million cases of adverse drug reaction occur in the U.S. every year. Pharmacogenomics could provide an answer to these issues: for example, a new microarray that profiles an individual’s ability to metabolize drugs will help doctors to more accurately determine the safe and effective dosage for a particular patient.
Science & Technology Discovery Series is sponsored by:
Armfield, Harrison & Thomas, Inc., Perkins Coie, and Swedish Medical Center
Labels: Bassem Bejjani, DNA microarray, Signature Genomics
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