11-11-13 | Blog Post
Online Tech is heading to Milwaukee to Rock IT Around the Clock! That’s the theme for the HIMSS Midwest Area Chapters Fall Technology Conference November 10-12, where we’ll be exhibiting our HIPAA hosting solutions at booth #501.
Morning Keynote: Howard J. Jacob, Ph.D. from HMGC
It’s all about the data.
Personalized medicine
Big Data
Building Collective Data
There’s a disproportionate number of people that aren’t physicians that practice medicine that people don’t realize, and that are being underrepresented.
Personalized medicine is a $450 Billion marketplace.
Humans have 6 Billion data points within their genome, and 30,000 genes per person. Of these 6 Billion data points, there are really only about 4-6 million points that can cause us to look strikingly different from one another.
There is, scientifically found, a mitochondrial Eve and a Y chromosomal Adam. This means we all are pretty much derived from the same people, with the same general makeup.
Family history is really important. But, how much do you really know about your family? Most people don’t give complete and accurate information to their families, so it’s harder to be sure your family history is accurate.
Family history + genomics = accuracy
Genomic sequencing allows the medical community to combine their family history, plus data about what their bodies are already at risk for. Howard explains that there are three levels of value that come with genome sequencing:
This information can help people focus on preventative measures if they’re at risk, or potentially quell their fears if they are concerned about susceptibilities they may have (especially those that would lead to loads of testing that may not be valuable.
It can change the way that medicine is practiced, with the focus on preventative care instead of just reactive treatments. It drives towards prevention and wellness.
What are we going to do with all that data? Are we just going to get rid of it? How long should we store it for? What’s reasonable? That’s the big question that we have to solve. We have to work together to figure out a pathway through that big data to more effectively change the way healthcare is administered, by properly utilizing our technology.
