genomeboy.com

Six.

That’s how many times I was asked to repeat my name, social security number and date of birth to the technicians at the American Red Cross today. This is how we protect blood recipients?

Genetic Future (about which I can’t say enough good things) points to Jennifer Couzin’s Science article on genetic risk:

Some concerns about the public’s reaction have already eased. Two years ago, behavioral epidemiologist Colleen McBride and human geneticist Lawrence Brody, both at the National Human Genome Research Institute, began examining how healthy individuals respond to disease risk information. They offered volunteers in Detroit, Michigan, the chance to learn whether they carried deleterious variants for eight health conditions, including diabetes, colon cancer, and osteoporosis. Because the variants are common, virtually everyone was expected to harbor at least a couple. Those monitoring the study’s safety “were really worried, literally, that people were going to jump off bridges” when they learned that their risk of disease was increased, says McBride.

Among the 300 or so who have participated, that hasn’t happened–quite the opposite. “They’re not having big emotional responses,” says McBride.

If that’s true–as it appears to be in Alzheimer’s as well–then how does that jibe with the “people-will-freak-out-if-you-tell-them-so-don’t” argument?

I am frequently asked what it will take to make personalized medicine a reality. If I’m being honest and not full of my usual bloated self-regard, I will shrug and say, “I have no idea. You should ask someone who might actually know.”

But if pressed and palpated, I would submit that if there’s a single thing missing from the roadmap to personalized medicine, it’s this:

A mascot.

Other folks have recognized this. To wit: Ladies and gentlemen, meet Prosty the Spokesgland©…

But wait, there’s more. The theme song, sung to the tune of Frosty the Snowman and meant to encourage the use of imaging rather than digital exams (yay!), is truly inspired. Dig the last verse:

Lumpety lump lump
Lumpety lump lump
Look at Prosty grow
Lumpety lump lump
Lumpety lump lump
No more bending over so