The Genomics Era

The Genomics Era

The BADGEM session at last year’s British Association of Dermatologists conference inspired me to undertake a free online FutureLearn course ‘The Genomics Era’ ( St Georges, University London) to make sure I’m up to date with the technology being used now to study the genome. This had several purposes though; I also wanted to see how online courses work. Although I’ve prepared material for online courses, I had never actually taken part in one. This also gave me an opportunity to see the kind of problems students encounter learning about genes, genomes and the genetic code.

The latest technology, including genome wide association studies (GWAS) and next generation sequencing, make it possible to crack complicated disorders that arise due to defects in multiple genes. A highlight at this year’s BAD conference was hearing Angela Christiano talking about research using GWAS that has revealed new genes associated with alopecia areata, a common hair-loss disorder that can even affect young people. The discovery of these genes has led to treatment that looks extremely promising.

Also this month I’ve gone back in time and learnt about the origins of cell culture. ‘The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks’ by Rebecca Skloot is partly a biography of the patient whose cancer cells became HeLa, one of the most commonly used cell lines used in research. But it also tells, all too painfully, the reason why we now have informed consent since the taking of cancer cells from Henrietta Lacks had considerable consequences for her family subsequently. Other shocking revelations in this book were the early experiments that were carried out using HeLa in ignorance.

We have come a long way since the cell culture revolution began with huge discoveries of benefit to mankind but many lessons have been learnt the hard way. We are now in the genomics era which is the next exciting revolution with lots of potential but also lots of ethical issues regarding the sequencing of peoples’ genomes. Let’s hope we can manage it better, with fewer mistakes this time.