Ep 1: Bioinformaticians: making sense of the human genome
Thanks to Scientific research, our knowledge about the human genome has increased significantly in recent years. We now have a much better understanding of disease – what causes them, the risks associated, how we might prevent them, diagnosis and treatment. And the more we understand, the more enhanced and developed our genomic tools and technologies are becoming. These advances mean we can look forward to better health in the future and not just for individuals but for populations as well. The Genuity Science podcast hopes to shed some light on some of these breakthroughs and why they are so important for public health. This episode of In Sequence, we have a very special guest, Ian Coleman, who is a bioinformatician at Genuity Science. Ian talks to us about what it’s like to work as a bioinformatician; glow-in-the-dark DNA, and what the human genome can tell us about our health. We also hear from Amy Swearingen, VP of Corporate Communications and Brand, who shares her story about why her dad’s illness motivated her to work in genomic research. Our Guests Ian Coleman, Bioinformatician at Genuity Science. Amy Swearingen, VP of Corporate Communication and Brand at Genuity Science. About In Sequence Podcast Terms such as ‘precision health’, ‘genomics’, and ‘bioinformatics’ have become popular in recent years. We hear them used more and more by experts talking about scientific research in the context of medicine and future health. But what is the significance of these terms when it comes to difficult-to-treat diseases such as cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other complex or rare diseases? How is genomics going to impact us as patients, families, and health care providers? The study of our genes (genomics) is helping scientists and clinical researchers gain a better understanding of health and disease. This deeper knowledge may identify the causes of such diseases and the risks associated with them, as well as shed some light on how diseases progress and respond to different treatments. Imagine if we could develop more precise treatments with minimal side-effects or even prevent these diseases from developing in the first place! This is not a podcast for geneticists or genomic scientists – they are already wildly excited about this stuff. This is for the rest of us who want to be educated on what genomics is and how it is revolutionising future health for all of us. Links Book Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow Follow us on our social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/genuityscience/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/genuitysci Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/genuitysci