The future is coming!!!!

I am very excited for the next major breakthough in medicine. I am convinced it will be the identification of the genetic substrate behind many medical conditions and then the even more exciting developement of tailored therapies for these conditions based on the genetic disorder.

Just this past week I read three reports linking genetics to heart disease:

1. Genetics of BP in African-Americans Identified
2. Second common genetic variant in AF identified - A sequence variant in the ZFHX3 gene is linked with a 20% increased risk of atrial fibrillation in people of European ancestry
3. Cardiac Ankyrin Repeat Protein Gene (ANKRD1) Mutations in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy - CARP abnormalities may be involved in the pathogenesis of HCM

While we are a long way from my dream of tailoring therapies based on genetics, these findings (along with hundreds of others) are the very important first step in this exciting process.