March 4, 2021 at 6:30 am
It’s been about 20 years since scientists unveiled a rough draft of the human genome. This is all of the DNA found in a human cell. Think of it like a genetic instruction book for the body. Creating that rough draft was like a medical moonshot. It held out the promise that doctors might soon be able look at someone’s DNA and prescribe the right medicines for their illness. They might even prevent certain diseases.
That promise is known as precision medicine. But it has yet to be fulfilled in any widespread way.
Researchers are getting clues about some DNA variants linked to certain conditions. Some people have them. Others might not. And scientists have figured out how some variants affect the way drugs work in the body. But many of those advances have helped just one group: people whose ancestors came from Europe. In other words, white people.
The treatment was authorized for emergency use last summer, but clinical trials showed plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients didn t help fight illness.
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