Measured, thoughtful growth is important in the development of any new industry. But that’s especially true in personal genomics, where the potential for breakthroughs in our understanding of human biology grows with each passing day.
A strong, vibrant personal genomics industry will be forged from a healthy debate, robust scientific review, and by having the brightest minds coming together to establish best practices that are designed with privacy and security at their core. But, one thing that is not up for debate is empowering people. I believe that deep understanding of the human genome will enable all of us to lead better lives and to do so in ways we’d never even imagined. And fundamentally, I believe that individuals will each take their own journeys to get there, selecting products, services, and insights that are most meaningful to them. In these journeys, it will be our duty to guide and inform, but never to make decisions on an individual’s behalf.
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This self-empowerment is driving a revolution in the way individuals think about their lifestyle, their environment, and their approach to health. In time, it will lead to better health outcomes because these individuals will be utilizing these new insights to change their lifestyle to improve the quality and length as they take their DNA journey.
Developing more actionable insights to power this revolution is our next challenge—not just for us at Helix, but for the scientific and medical communities at large. A big piece of this puzzle comes from real-time health data at scale, which increasingly lives outside of the health system. If you wear or use a connected health device and are analyzing your data, you are already taking part.
It’s a wealth of data that only grows larger and better as wearables and other smart objects become ordinary parts of our lives. But by adding DNA sequence information, the data becomes far more than the sum of its parts. We’re now at the point where we’ve proven out that we can deliver clinical-grade whole exomes at scale, which means we are able to contribute to these rich, multimodal datasets that will have far-reaching implications for population genetics and the discovery of novel insights.
This gets back to empowering the individual, and how important it is. The ever-growing demand for consumer health devices already tells us that individuals want to be empowered to get fitter, to live better, and to understand themselves more completely. With personal genomics, we now have the technology and the science to help them fill in some of the blanks. Today, DNA testing can help you learn whether you have a higher risk of high cholesterol, diabetes, or certain cancers, just to name a few. But the reality is that we’ve only scratched the surface of what the human genome can tell us.
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By taking an ecosystem approach to personal genomics, the rate at which we increase understanding of the genome and human health will accelerate. We know that this approach—an ever-growing marketplace of cutting-edge DNA learning products—resonates, and actively incentivizes individuals to participate. Databases of clinical-grade whole exomes (and, eventually, genomes) from actively engaged participants will grow at breathtaking speed.
I can’t stress enough how critical this virtuous cycle of scientific study and individual incentive will be. Personal genomics will have a profoundly positive impact on access to health insights that were previously unavailable or restricted for the majority of individuals, and this will lead to better, smarter, more informed health and wellness decisions. Every day, we are witnessing a chain of events that will eventually lead to unlocking the full potential of the genome—not just for a select few, but for every human on the planet.
As we deliver on this mission, our industry bears an obligation to ensure that data is always used responsibly and in the correct contexts. Customer safety needs to be at the forefront of everything we do. Here are some of my recommendations to ensure safety and make the personal genomics industry more patient-centric: where possible, offer next-generation sequencing in a CAP- and CLIA-accredited lab that you own and operate. Make sure to have genetic counselors and bioethicists on staff, and offer genetic counseling as a core service or provide it through partners for customers who request it. Also, partner with health systems and other entities that are focused on delivering accurate, actionable insights across a broad spectrum of health-relevant genes.
At its essence, this is how I believe people will be empowered through DNA: by offering engaging and informative products built by innovative developers, powered by an advanced platform and delivered at the highest standards of quality and privacy. It’s what the research community requires to push genomic science forward—and more importantly, it’s what customers deserve and demand.
Photo: jxfzsy, Getty Images
