On Wisconsin Magazine: Researchers have new tools for explaining who we are and improving our lives
The Truth in Our Genes
Article by Preston Schmitt // OnWisconsin Magazine
How much information about ourselves is too much? As the field of genetics advances, with the relatively new ability to cheaply sequence a person’s entire genetic makeup, it’s a question we should all be ready to confront.
Consider a screening that, with a drop of blood, records a newborn’s complete set of genes — collectively known as the genome — and calculates risk scores for thousands of potential medical and social outcomes. Indicators for autism, dyslexia, diabetes, ADHD, depression, and even low educational attainment become part of the newborn’s permanent medical record.
Though not yet practical, all of that is already possible. And one can easily imagine the benefits of such an approach: earlier diagnoses, faster interventions, better treatments. In the future, pairing information about patients’ social circumstances with their genetic code could help medical providers prescribe a drug that’s more likely to be effective. This innovative approach is called precision medicine, with its most promising applications so far in cancer treatment.
But why stop there? Genomic data could easily have social and policy applications. If a child is shown to have a higher risk score for a learning disorder, schools could provide supports earlier, subsidized by the government, before she falls behind in class.
For all the promise, there is plenty of peril in such a brave new world. The field of genetics has journeyed down dark paths before, from the horrors of eugenics to the debunked science of The Bell Curve. Genetic discrimination could flourish, such as life insurance companies hiking up rates on policyholders with high-risk medical indicators. Schools could factor genetic potential into the admissions process.
UW–Madison has become a leading hub for researchers who are exploring these complex issues, which they pursue with equal parts enthusiasm and caution. They’re trying to better understand how our genes interact with our environments, which is the underpinning of the emerging field of social genomics. The UW is investing heavily in it through the Initiative in Social Genomics — a research group and cluster hiring effort that fosters collaboration across academic disciplines.
“As scientists learn how genes interact with social environments, their findings could transform health care and public policy.”