GINA, proteome, and more

by Beyond Lab

GINA will very possibly be passed today and sent to George Bush. This is good in protecting your gene (personal genome) information from being misused by insurance companies etc. To know about GINA, this blog has the details.

Personal proteome? It might be too early but it eventually will come around. Researchers around the world are trying to start an ambitious project to map all the proteins in our body. It will definitely cost more than sequencing our genome because there are so many types of cells/tissues in our body and each type has characteristics proteins. Moreover, to understand protein is not just know their names and sequences -- the higher order structures (2,3, and 4-dimensioin) and the interactions among proteins are all critical. How should this be funded? Public money? Private support? Scientists would have to do some marketing to get enough support. Nonetheless, it is useful and must be done.

A step further, once this information is available some day, will there be many private companies to sell personal proteome service like the current personal genome companies? Let's see.

On another topic, since most of the genome or proteome research is done with public funding, should the information be used by private companies to earn money??? Should they be charged for using that information for profit. --Interesting to think about it. Your comments are welcome.