Othman Laraki

Fifteen years ago, the Human Genome Project announced the completion of the first human genome. This was a moon landing scale endeavor that took billions of dollars in combined public and private investment - to sequence one single human genome.

Since then, scientists have derived countless insights from the genome, deepening our understanding of disease and discovering new therapies. However, the benefits of genetic insights to prevent, detect, and treat disease have remained inaccessible to the majority of the population due to incomplete medical evidence and cost/convenience hurdles.

To help deliver the promise of genomics to every person, some of the top health systems in the U.S., including, Jefferson Health, University of Washington, University of Chicago, and UCSF, are partnering with Color to launch population testing for cancer and heart disease. This will be done through Color Population Health , Color’s end-to-end solution for health systems that want to integrate genetics into standard medical practice. Color Population Health is precision healthcare for the masses, integrated with research capabilities to help accelerate the mountain of discoveries that remain to be made, while saving lives today

This is a transformative step. Until now, getting genetic testing required patients to jump through multiple hoops, meet restrictive guidelines, and perhaps pay thousands of dollars out of pocket. These health systems are making it extraordinarily simple to test for the ten most established and actionable cancer and heart disease genes -- easier than a cholesterol test and accessible to everyone.

Offering population-level access to preventive genetics in a responsible way is only possible through the combined efforts of numerous medical, scientific, policy and private sector teams representing a cross-section of medicine, science and health economics. There are many building blocks required to effectively deliver population genetics, but I keep them out of the body of this post for the sake of brevity (you can find them below).

The main takeaway is that we have reached a pivotal moment in the history of genetics, as the science required to offer genetic testing for every person and the technology to deliver it at scale have finally come together.

Population screening today starts with 10 out of the more than 20,000 genes in the human genome and covers a fraction of the risk for cancer and heart disease. However, this is an important first step because it represents potentially life-saving genetic information being responsibly delivered to entire populations. By crossing the threshold for universal access, we have the opportunity to help millions of people live longer and lead healthier lives, while creating an environment that powers the next phase in our understanding of disease and its management.

We believe that 2018 will be remembered as the year when, through a combination of diligence and creativity, the scientific and medical communities took us from the era of the human genome to that of the genome for humanity.

To view the full post for this announcement, click here .

Othman Laraki

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About

Experience

American Cancer Society

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Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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