FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR, NEERJA SETHI, PhD

  Dear Readers, 

 A bill outlawing discrimination based on genetic test results won approval from the US Senate to become a law in April. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act would forbid insurance companies from denying coverage to workers due to a person’s genetic makeup. It would also prohibit insurers and employers from forcing employees to undergo genetic tests. This was a much needed law and protection for the consumers, since as the technology is progressing at high speed and many opportunistic companies wanting to make a quick buck from decoding the personal genome are springing in every street corner. Last month many states, including New York and California, sent warning letters to six of the online gene testing companies informing them, that by performing genetic tests without a doctor’s prescription or authorization, they are on the wrong side of the law. In a time where a large number of Americans can’t afford basic health insurance, it is sad to see companies offering unregulated, unreliable genetic information through web portals. Perhaps it is a good recreation for consumers who have few thousand extra dollars to play with-but these online tests are not for people seeking serious medical information.

We also hope that these unregulated online gene testing companies do not tarnish the image of the promising field of Personalized Medicine and Pharmacogenomics. The field of Pharmacogenomics will play a key role in refining the drug discovery and development process and allow for improved drug safety. In this issue of MedicineandBiotech.com, we bring to you FDA’s recent guidance for industry for Pharmacogenomics to ensure uniform integration in the growing promising field of Pharmacogenomics.

MedicineandBiotech.com continues to strive to provide our readers with valuable information in the Biotech and Pharma world every month. In the year 2008, we will continue to bring you information and news on the latest technologies and therapeutics. MedicineandBiotech.com is a unique e-magazine that provides a platform where biotechnology, medicine, business sector and the community converge. Our aim is to e-publish smartly written work that will reward readers in academe, industry and the general public.

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Medicineandbiotech.com welcomes your articles and opinions. Please send your articles to the email: editor@medicineandbiotech.com. Mark www.medicineandbiotech.com as your favorite site! If you enjoyed reading this issue, please spread the word to your friends and colleagues.

Dr. Neerja Sethi, Ph.D., Founder and Managing Editor
Email: editor@medicineandbiotech.com

CEO, Astragen LLC, Biotechnology and Biopharmaceutical Solutions; PhD-University of Virginia; Postdoctoral Fellow-Duke University Medical Center; Scientist-Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel, Switzerland; Scientist-UCSF Medical Center.