From Science Fiction to Reality
For Dr. Ronald G. Crystal, his research field — personalized genetic medicine — is much more than a distant promise or something from a science-fiction novel. It is now used successfully to diagnose elusive diseases, improve treatments, and even cure once intractable disorders.
"I tell all my first-year medical students, no matter what specialty you are going into — surgery or pediatrics or psychiatry — you will all be genetic medicine doctors," says Dr. Crystal, the Bruce Webster Professor of Internal Medicine and chairman of the Department of Genetic Medicine.
Genetic medicine is the study of our genes — what they are and how they work. Inherited from our parents, genes determine obvious traits like eye color and height, but they also play a role in our chances of getting diseases like cancer or heart disease.
Now that our entire human genetic code has been sequenced, scientists are making discoveries on how to use genetic therapy to create personalized, more effective treatments. "We can't choose our parents, but if we knew what our genes were and how they vary, we could be advised on what we should be doing in our lifestyle to minimize risk, including targeted therapies to protect against getting disease," Dr. Crystal says.
"Depending on your genes, for example, you may metabolize or deal with medications in different ways. By knowing what level of which drugs works best for you, we may choose to treat you with one drug and someone else with a different one — all for the same disease," he explains.
The Research Leads to Cures Initiative
Dr. Crystal and other Weill Cornell researchers are consistently making great advances in understanding, treating and preventing heart disease, cancer and a host of other debilitating diseases. These researchers are the heart of the Research Leads to Cures initiative — a new and critical phase of the Discoveries that Make a Difference campaign.