Genetics, health and medicine

Home > PJ (current issue) > CPD

The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7408 p53-56
8 July 2006

This article
Reprint Photocopy

PDF 80K, Acrobat Reader

Continuing professional development

Genetics, health and medicine

Advances in genetics are driving a revolution in health care, promising greater understanding of disease, superior tools for prevention and diagnosis, and novel treatments. No one can afford to ignore genetics. In this article, Philippa Brice and Simon Sanderson outline essential knowledge for pharmacists, and consider the immediate and possible long-term impact of genetics on health

Continuing professional development articles

Philippa Brice, PhD, is science policy and dissemination manager for the Public Health Genetics Unit (part of the Cambridge Genetics Knowledge Park). She previously worked in biomedical intelligence in the pharmaceutical industry.

Simon Sanderson, DPH, FFPHM, is clinical lecturer in primary care genetics in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge and public health physician at the Public Health Genetics Unit

SUMMARY

The term “genetics” has a range of possible meanings. In the traditional sense, it refers to the study of biological inheritance — how characteristics are transmitted from one generation to another — including the inheritance of diseases. More broadly, genetics encompasses the cellular and molecular basis of this biological information, in terms of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), genes and chromosomes, and their function in normal and disease states. Genetics is sometimes also used to refer to genetic technology, from basic techniques in molecular biology to specialised applications such as genetic engineering or gene therapy. Panel 1 summarises the key knowledge underpinning all aspects of genetics.

It is important to remember that, in terms of health and disease, inherited biological information does not act in isolation — all individuals are subject to unique environmental as well as genetic influences that affect their susceptibility to disease. No two people ever experience precisely the same environment, even those who live together and share similar lifestyles. This is evident from the fact that even genetically identical twins brought up together are unlikely to have identical health records. Environmental factors include a vast range of variables, from dietary intake and exercise to aspects of our physical and social surroundings and also individual behaviours. Nevertheless, there is great interest in determining precisely how genetics influences health, with a view to estimating and minimising individual disease risks and of developing new drugs and other therapeutic interventions.

Full article PDF 80K