Innovation Anthology #192:
Scientists now know there are more than 6500 genetic diseases. These include inherited problems like cystic fibrosis, autism, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Dr. Stephen Scherer studies the genetic basis of disease at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children.
Dr. Scherer says, as the cost of genetic testing falls, the push to do routine DNA tests increases. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
DR. STEPHEN SCHERER: If the price for a genome sequence comes in to the 100 dollar range, it becomes a commodity. And I really think that over time, but perhaps a child is born, they take a blood spot and they will also determine the DNA sequence and then the family and eventually that child, when that child becomes an adult, will use that information, again as an information source, to help guide decisions throughout their life time. In some cases it will be which drugs to take, for example, not only which drugs, but perhaps which doses of drugs. To predict the risk for certain diseases. So you might modify your environment or your diet.
That was Toronto geneticist Dr. Stephen Scherer.
Thanks today to the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
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I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
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Canada Foundation for Innovation
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is an independent corporation created by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure—state-of-the-art equipment, laboratories, databases, and the buildings necessary to conduct research. The CFI’s mandate is to strengthen the capacity of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development that benefits Canadians.
Since its creation in 1997, CFI investments in research infrastructure have lead to breakthroughs in areas such as health, natural resources, information and communications technology, energy, and the environment.
La Fondation canadienne pour l’innovation (FCI) est un organisme autonome créé par le gouvernement du Canada pour financer l’infrastructure de recherche—l’équipement de pointe, les laboratoires, les bases de données de même que les bâtiments nécessaires pour mener des travaux de recherche. Le mandat de la FCI est de renforcer la capacité des universités, des collèges et des hôpitaux de recherche, de même que des établissements de recherche à but non lucratif du Canada de mener des projets de recherche et de développement technologique de calibre mondial qui produisent des retombées pour les Canadiens.
Depuis la création de la FCI en 1997, les investissements qu’elle a faits dans l’infrastructure ont mené à des percées dans des domaines tels que la santé, les ressources naturelles, les technologies de l’information et des communications, l’énergie et l’environnement.
Program Date: 2008-12-11