M Dahmani Fathallah
Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain
Title: Genomics, gene editing & biological drugs: The bolsters of the new medical paradigm
Biography
Biography: M Dahmani Fathallah
Abstract
In the dawn of this new century, advances in our understanding of the intricate molecular mechanisms of human life in health and disease states are introducing a paradigm shift in medicine. Disruptive innovations in the way of diagnosis, prevention and therapy of most alienating diseases will be carried out are underway. In this lecture we will discuss three major technical developments in genomics, biological drugs design and gene editing, that are significantly reshaping the medical landscape. These developments are the results of the translation of a significant amount of scientific knowledge into medical practices. This knowledge was accumulated in the field of genetics and from the unraveling of the human genome, in biotechnology with genetic engineering and mass production of powerful biological products and in the discovery of a more accurate ways to edit genes. Thanks to the development of such approaches, we are shifting from the conventional use of the empirical 'one drug fits all' therapeutic practice to a novel type of personalized medical practice where rational companion genetic testing will be used to back biological drug clinical efficiency by identifying the most genetically qualified patient subgroup. Precision gene editing will correct all genetic alterations associated with diseases and gene therapy should become a safe and routine procedure. These technologies will definitely bolster medicine in the short term and hematological disorders will be at the forefront of the pathological conditions that will benefit from such technologies. The use of these new technologies is not free from ethical and economic issues that urgently need to be sorted out for this new paradigm to thrive.
