Dosages can be tailored precisely to each patient's requirements. These advances have given rise to the new field of pharmacogenomics. Advanced genetic screening also will promote preventative medicine. This early awareness will translate into billions of dollars per year in reduced medical costs. Mapping the genome is the first step toward producing a complete inventory of human proteins and their uses.
Proteins are the chemical compounds of amino acids, which regulate much of the body's functioning.
It can be an enzyme that helps digest food, a neurotransmitter that allows brain cells to communicate, or an antibody that helps fight infection. The primary task of most genes is the production of these proteins. Kelvin Lee, M.D., associate professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology at the School of Medicine, says the future of proteomics is immense. Dr. Lee is exploring the idea that the body can be cued to vaccinate itself against cancer. Proteins hold the key.