Genetics - What is next?

Host: Is there any new advances you are thinking coming down the road in genetics that might be revolutionizing or anything? Lakshmi Mehta: I see it coming slowly. Right now, I think where we are jumping ahead is really diagnostics. A lot of tests are becoming available, they are expensive. That's where the technology have its -- the human genome, the sequencing of the human genome has actually led to the ability to do a lot of tests. Host: So mapping out the whole sequence? Lakshmi Mehta: Exactly. Now the function of the genes, and we people talk about personalized medicines. Talk about doing checks on an adult, without any particular problems. You are go in for a checkup, and the doctor says, we can do a profile on you. It hasn't happened yet. You can hear people talking about it. We can do a profile on you that will predict what you are going to develop in the future. So we'll tell you what chances you have to develop heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer, diabetes. These are all the common medical terms. Host: Well, the search company might charge you more, if you have too many things showing up. Lakshmi Mehta: And we don't quite know how to interpret the genetic variants that underlie these susceptibilities. We don't quite know exactly what interactions will trigger the disease. So everybody who carries the susceptibility gene is not going to develop the problem. Can you prevent it? That's the other thing. What's the point of doing this thing unless you can take measures to actually prevent develop these problems. Host: So the bigger issues can be a moral issue, more than even a manipulation. Lakshmi Mehta: And how to interpret these genetic sequence. That's all they are. There are sequence in terms of functions. Host: Everybody has some marker of something. Lakshmi Mehta: Sure sure and how much can our system take in terms of low, in terms of diagnostics, in terms of follow up, in terms of intervention. How we, we are no where there, but you hear this all the time, personalized genomic medicines. Host: People are afraid they are going to have this. Some cell that un-differentiate throughout the body and care everything. It's not going to happen. Lakshmi Mehta: Not with government, right? I am sorry. Host: No, sure we can't get -- but even so, it's okay. These things aren't going to make a super human being or anything, no? Lakshmi Mehta: No, all that talk about cloning, you use your, all the time -- I mean, it took millions of attempts to make that Dolly, the sheep, and then -- Host: I met him. He started me show he did it. It's a little town, (Voice Overlap) Lakshmi Mehta: How did this happen. Can you reproduce it? I don't think anybody has reproduced it. Host: No, but what make things interesting, all these things make quality of life better. Lakshmi Mehta: Sure. Host: Maybe reduce some of the genetic diseases a little bit. Lakshmi Mehta: I think stem cells has a future. I mean, stem cells which can be manipulated and used in treatment ,would have a fantastic application. Host: It might be that -- first thing might be to control diabetes, if they can? Lakshmi Mehta: Sure. Stick stem cells in the pancreas or something that takes over the road of the pancreas, put in the brain for Parkinson's, it would have huge potential. Host: But we are not there yet? Lakshmi Mehta: No, we are not. I mean, people are trying to actually make stem cells. Host: It will also involve one last aspect, since how do you get a cancer, and they get markers, that tell you, this is going to good or bad, not because we are trying to make everybody crazy. We know a certain type of therapy, and certain markers do better this way than other way, because in pediatrics, as unique is it is, the chemotherapist share the information with the patient obviously, to know what we have done, what works with certain markers, certain therapies work better. We are getting better in treating kids because of this. Is that true? Lakshmi Mehta: We've waived in certain important markers like this, heard too new, in breast cancer, where if it's positive, they treat those patients in a receptive. So they have some tailored treatments depending on the -- Host: That seems we are going to be going down the road. Lakshmi Mehta: That would be very important application, but those markers are in the tumor, not in the person. Host: That's correct. Lakshmi Mehta: So the magic thing is -- Host: That's the genetics of the tumor. Lakshmi Mehta: Exactly. Host: We'll still get back to genes. Lakshmi Mehta: That's why they became the cancer, because they underwent these genetic thing. Host: A lot of people always talk about cancer, but cancer really is your cell. Lakshmi Mehta: Going out of whack. Host: Out of whack. We don't know why. So maybe some gene therapy hits that cancer cell, and say, listen, you are back into the fold, you can't be an A, you're going to be dark a bit. Lakshmi Mehta: You can interrupt the cycle. Host: So you might be, the way to treat cancer down the road? Lakshmi Mehta: That they wanted to know about that too, whether they can actually inject tumors or very early -- Host: Like in a computer gets a virus, similar to gene, you go in there with some kind of software package, and all these pop ups, and they go on, and your computer acts normal again. Maybe that's -- Lakshmi Mehta: Because we are a little computer. Host: Yes, so maybe down the road, some computer geek gets grant from Harvard, might find a cure for some cancers, but he may not know, because he is not a doctor. Lakshmi Mehta: I didn't even know that there is this field called applied math, where people do neuroscience and genomics.