For nearly a year and a half, MICHAEL SNYDER, and his lab members scrutinized some of his body’s most intimate secrets: the sequence of his DNA, the RNA and proteins produced by his cells, the metabolites and signaling molecules flowing through his blood.
They discovered, in a shocking development, that he was predisposed to type-2 diabetes and then watched as the condition developed. As a result, Snyder changed his diet and exercise habits and was able to bring the disease under control, long before it would have ever been diagnosed with traditional methods.
The results (subscription required) of the unprecedented analysis were reported earlier this year in Cell. The findings represent a significant milestone in the realization of the promise of truly personalized medicine, or tailoring health care to an individual’s circumstances.
For this round of Ask Stanford Med, the School of Medicine’s SCOPE blog asked Snyder to respond to your questions about how his study may help the advancement of personalized medicine and about the use of gene sequencing to guide preventative medicine.
For more information on how to post your questions, visit the full SCOPE blog post.
