Is personalized medicine--what some scientists call genetic medicine--a
pipe dream or a panacea? Francis Collins, current director of the
National Institutes of Health and director of the Human Genome Project,
considers this new era "the greatest revolution since Leonardo," while
Nobel Laureate Leland Hartwell compares personalized medicine to a train
that has not yet left the station--"a very slow train with a very long
way to go . . . before we arrive at our destination."
There is no denying that new technology, which has triggered an
explosion of scientific information, is ushering in a revolution in
medicine--for specialists, general practitioners and the public. Anyone
can spit in a cup and, for a small fee, learn about his or her
individual genetic make-up. But how useful is this information, really,
to us or to our doctors? What's more, how much do we truly want to
know--and have others know--about our possible destiny? There is more
than we can imagine at stake.
In An Immense New Power to Heal, authors Lee Gutkind and Pagan Kennedy
delve into the personal side of personalized medicine and offer the
physician's perspective and the patient's experience through intimate
narratives and case studies. They also offer an intriguing background of
the personalized medicine movement including the fascinating
personalities of the key scientists involved as well as a glimpse into
the in-fighting that accompanies any race for a scientific breakthrough.
The result is a highly engaging, lively, and provocative discussion
about this revolution in health care, and most importantly, what it
really means for patients now and in the future.
