Bioinformatics and genomic medicine
- Based on your reading Cleveland and Cleveland (2009) Chapter 12, a state in your own words, the difference between Bioinformatics and Clinical Informatics.
Bioinformatics is a discipline that deals borrow the application of technological means to address molecular biology. The creation of platforms that allows the collation and analysis of relevant molecular biological information are done. All these are done to help in the understanding of biological processes. However, clinical informatics is the study information technology and its application in the system of healthcare to ensure that required data of the corresponding patients can be retrieved, analyzed, and submitted to the person needing them.
- Name three (3) of the five primary activities associated with bioinformatics that you deem most important.
- Genome structuring
- Pharmacogenomics
- DNA sequence alignment
- b) Explain why these activities are deemed necessary?
Genome structuring is significant because it ensures that macromolecular materials are correctly arranged
Pharmacogenomics; a very crucial part of treatment; it ensures drugs are produced to help in the treatment of the diseases.
DNA sequence alignment; helps in the definition of the organisms and materials and the relationship between the data.
- The mapping of the human genome has unlocked incredible new treatment potential in human health. Based on your reading, what potential treatment options associated with genetic information and treatments do you find most intriguing?
- This is the application of genomics knowledge to come up with drugs that will target specific diseases.
- What is the most important societal, ethical, or legal concern that emerges from the use of the human genome in medical treatment and in societies as a whole?
The most important and most relevant concern is that what if this program will cause many problems like discrimination, or affecting job and insurance coverage. The boundaries and should be set to wipe all these worries. (Cleveland and Cleveland, 2009)
- According to your supplemental reading article by Yohe, Carter, Pfeifer, Crawford, Cushman-Vokoun, Caughron, and Lenoard (2015) what is a “Clinical Grade Genomic Database”?
This is a system that stores clinical information that can be both coded and non-coded. The information is stored in the intergenic sequence
- What promise do such databases hold in terms of patient care?
Highly secured information that cannot accessed by other people and cannot be confused with additional information. (Yohe, 2015)
Reference.
Yohe, S., Carter, A. B., Pfeifer, J. D., Crawford, J. M., Cushman-Vokoun, A., Caughron, S., & Leonard, D. G. (2015). Standards for Clinical Grade Genomic Databases. Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 139(11). 1400-1412. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2014-0568-CP