Our DNA family reunion

Abstract

As we begin to personalize our life to the string of four-letter code (GATC) that holds the secrets to our phenotypic differences based on our genetic variation, I believe the success of public health genomics will stem from our ability to be mindful of how connected we are to each other. 99.9% of our genomes are identical, and it is that which defines our humanity. I do not doubt that genomics will help us to live longer, healthier, and perhaps better than we did during the preHuman Genome Project era. The speed of sequencing technology will continue to improve as we expedite genomic information processing, the cost of the sequencing will be as low as a few hundred dollars, and the wealth of genomic data will increase to fuse new genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with possible implications for better medicine and health. Using GWAS we could personalize our diet based on our genes and epigenetic factors that influence the ‘on and off switch’ of our genes along with our behaviour. The potential use of genomics in health and medicine to prevent disease, reduce disease severity, delay diseasemanifestation and even avoid death may all be within our reach. When I teach my undergraduate course ‘Genomics in Public Health’, I ponder the take-home messages I want my students to remember after completing my course. Will they learn the history of the Human Genome Project? Will they understand the complexity of genomic information?Will they