Personal Omics Profile: Future of Medical Testing?

Medical testing may be reaching the next frontier. Recently Michael Synder of Stanford University spent the last two years sequencing his DNA, genome, and metabolites. During the two year period, researchers used iPOP or Personal “Omics” Profile. IPOP looks at not only the genome, proteome, and other vital information. Over the course of two years Synder provided a blood sample every two months to study his body. Over the course of the study Synder got sick and researchers were able to look at the changes in his body in real time. The data showed that Synder was at an increased risk of type 2 diabates. By modifying his diet and exercising he was able to bring his vitals back into range erasing the increased risk for diabetes. In essence he was able to see a few years into the future due to the real time data. The researchers look at different metrics to see what was going on with Synder’s body.

This is the first look at medical testing in real time. The human body is complex and we have many different genes. Genes only tell us whether or not people have an increased risk of decreased risk of getting a getting illness or disease. However, by studying these genes and genome in real time researchers will be able to get a better understanding of how the body transforms over time. For instance, how a normal body gets cancer. Also this can lead to how people improve, get better, and stay healthy. Understanding this process could lead to novel therapies in the future.

I hope more studies that use the IPOP are done in the future. A better study would be to look at certain populations with a particular disease or illness and measure the changes in real time. One drawback however is the amount of testing that is required. I don’t know how many people would be willing to get a blood test every month. Hopefully, in the process researchers can devise ways to get information by less invasive means.