Genetic testing is on the cusp of a major revolution, which has the potential to shift not just how we understand our risk for disease, but how we practice healthcare. In the clinic today, genetic testing is used only in cases where we know that mutations have big impact on physiology (BRCA mutations in breast cancer, for example). But our knowledge of how our genetics influences our risk for disease has evolved, and we now know that many (tens of thousands to even millions) small changes in our genes, each of which individually has a tiny effect, combine to influence our risk profile. This new appreciation — coupled with powerful statistical methods and massive datasets — has fueled the creation of a new tool to quantify the risk of a broad range of common diseases: the polygenic risk score. On this episode, host Lauren Richardson (@lr_bio) is joined by Dr. Peter Donnelly, (@genemodeller Professor of Statistical Science at the University of Oxford and co-founder and CEO of Genomics PLC), and Vineeta Agarwala, (@vintweeta physician-scientist and general partner at a16z), to discuss these scores and how they can reshape healthcare, away from a paradigm of treating illness and towards prevention and maintenance of health.
Peter Donnelly
is a Professor of Statistical Science at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of St. Anne’s College.
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- Scaling Medicaid Innovation with Afia Asamoah, Rajaie Batniji, and Sanjay Basu Vineeta Agarwala, Afia Asamoah, Sanjay Basu, Rajaie Batniji, Kris Tatiossian, and Olivia Webb
- Investing in Arda Therapeutics Becky Pferdehirt and Vineeta Agarwala
- Investing in GC Therapeutics Vineeta Agarwala
- Harnessing Water Dynamics for Drug Design with Michael Crackower and Jason Burch Vineeta Agarwala, Jason Burch, Michael Crackower, Kris Tatiossian, and Olivia Webb
- A Fatal Inheritance with Lawrence Ingrassia Vineeta Agarwala, Lawrence Ingrassia, Kris Tatiossian, and Olivia Webb
- Scaling Medicaid Innovation with Afia Asamoah, Rajaie Batniji, and Sanjay Basu Vineeta Agarwala, Afia Asamoah, Sanjay Basu, Rajaie Batniji, Kris Tatiossian, and Olivia Webb
- Investing in Arda Therapeutics Becky Pferdehirt and Vineeta Agarwala
- Investing in GC Therapeutics Vineeta Agarwala
- Harnessing Water Dynamics for Drug Design with Michael Crackower and Jason Burch Vineeta Agarwala, Jason Burch, Michael Crackower, Kris Tatiossian, and Olivia Webb
- A Fatal Inheritance with Lawrence Ingrassia Vineeta Agarwala, Lawrence Ingrassia, Kris Tatiossian, and Olivia Webb
Insights, analysis, and additional reading on bio and health, and how both are shaping our future.
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Insights, analysis, and additional reading on bio and health, and how both are shaping our future.
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Insights, analysis, and additional reading on bio and health, and how both are shaping our future.
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