Welcome to the new look Genetic Future, now hosted on ScienceBlogs.
In around five years, a complete genome sequence will be readily affordable for most citizens of wealthy industrialised nations - even those of us on a researcher's salary. At the same time we will have access to vast amounts of data about the effects of individual genetic variants on human variation and disease risk. Storing, processing and using genetic data to make effective health decisions will become an immense challenge both to healthcare providers and to individual consumers.
The revolution has already begun: right now, "personal genomics" companies such as 23andMe, deCODEme and Navigenics offer to scan your genome for hundreds of thousands of common sites of variation, and to generate predictions about your risk of common diseases such as diabetes and arthritis. A horde of smaller companies also offer "boutique" genetic testing services for anything from hair loss to bipolar disorder. Some of these tests are valuable, while for others the scientific evidence is weak and the predictive value vanishingly small - but for the typical consumer it is difficult to discern the genuine offerings from the scams.
Genetic Future's primary mission is to cut through the hype and bullshit associated with the brave new world of human genomics. I report on the latest findings from genome-wide association studies and large-scale sequencing projects investigating the genetic underpinnings of common disease, putting their results in their broader scientific context.
I also review the scientific basis and useability of products offered by commercial genetic testing companies. I'll be dissecting the studies used by these companies to justify their expensive tests, and describing in plain language how useful such tests are likely to be to consumers.
To readers that have followed me from the old site: you can expect more of the same, but now with advertising!
New and old readers alike can subscribe to the Genetic Future RSS feed here.
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Welcome to the monkey house, Daniel!
Welcome to The Family!
Glad you have made the move and look forward to "continuing" to read your blog!
Best wishes on your change of venue, in both the physical and digital world! I look forward to continuing to read your blog.
Welcome Dan!
bow-wow dawg.
'K, that creeped me out.
To readers that have followed me from the old site: you can expect more of the same, but now with advertising!
New and old readers alike can subscribe to the Genetic Future RSS feed here.
While I am sure moving to scienceblogs.com is good for you, I do have a question: what has happened to the full text RSS feed? I cannot fail to notice a pattern of full text feeds disappearence for several blogs that at one point or another have switched to scienceblogs. Very sad.
Hey Grrr,
I actually got suggestions following some of my longer posts on the old site that an extended entry format might be easier for readers, and that's one of the reasons I changed over. A more important reason, though, is that I now get paid every time someone visits the site, and - seeing as I'm really only in this blogging thing for the money and the groupies - I intend to milk my readers for every cent.
More seriously, I'll look into the possibility of offering a full-text feed as an option (I honestly have no idea how hard it would be to set up, though, so no promises).