Timing, GINA is Law and the Future of Genomic Medicine

So some very important things came to pass today. All of these things will have a major impact on the future of Genomic Medicine. First and foremost....I have a delivery system for Personalized Medicine. Physician based care is the only way for this future. It may not be sexy enough for Kleiner Perkins, but we have some very strong allies now.

After the best meeting I have had in my career so far I headed to a very quiet space for the webinar.

The webinar is a demonstration of how powerful the webcast can be to convey and cover complex material. This is exactly what Helix Health of Connecticut will do, at a minimum monthly, convey complex topics and bring the thought leaders together to debate and educate. Interested in helping out? Call Helix Health of Connecticut.

How good was the webinar? REAL GOOD. The take home messages

1. It is the legal responsibility of all physicians to learn and provide genomic medical care in one form or another. And informed concerned parties regarding genetic risk

2. There are many things evolving in the care of breast and ovarian cancer, including pharmacogenotyping tumors and patients for chemo dosing and response.

3. BRCA testing is standard of care for at risk groups

4. Education is the rate limiting step to integration, Helix Health of Connecticut will provide alot of that education

5. Envirogenomics is the real key in most diseases

Did you miss it? email jonathan.freed@helixhealthofconnecticut.org or webcasts@helixhealthofconnecticut.org for the podcast!

Then as if synchronicity weren't enough at 2:05 pm, when Helix Health of Connecticut began the Q&A session for the webinar, President Bush signed into law, The Genetics Information and Nondiscrimination Act.

President Bush:

I want to thank the members of Congress who've joined us as I sign the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, a piece of legislation which prohibits health insurers and employers from discriminating on the basis of genetic information. In other words, it protects our citizens from having genetic information misused, and this bill does so without undermining the basic premise of the insurance industry.

I also want to pay homage today to -- and not only to members of the Congress who are behind me, but also to Senator Ted Kennedy, who has worked for over a decade to get this piece of legislation to a President's desk. All of us are so pleased that Senator Kennedy has gone home, and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

Now it's my honor to sign the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.

Now with Senator Kennedy's health issues, it is almost certain that his regulation bill will also find a very welcoming administration. Thus ensuring that the bricks and mortar delivery system for Genomic Medicine is the only legal method.

There it is ladies and gentlemen, the blueprint for the future. Helix will help shape this and many others will too. Unfortunately, if you are a DTC company, it is not likely to involve your "scale-able" model. And I ask...."Should It?" Why try to fit a square peg in a round hole?

The Sherpa Says:

May 21st 2008 will mark a historic day for all human beings. It is the day that the model for genomic medicine delivery came to existence, the model for genomic education launched, and the day that the United States Government outlawed discrimination from this information. Lastly, the shot was fired across the physicians' bow, by a very seasoned and venerated attorney and professor...."Genomic Medicine is your legal responsibility" I don't think it can get more clear than that.