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Genetic Counselling, Pharmacogenetics and Gene Therapy: The Paving- Stones Leading to Brighter Futures

Amin Saleh Halum and Muhammad Tahir M Bhinder

In today's day and age, technology is constantly evolving, rendering other forms of technology once considered state-of-the-art to become obsolete. These technological innovations which are occurring affect nearly every, and all fields of medicine. These trending innovations can be seen in the field of genetics as well where Geneticists are able to identify an individual's risks of transmitting a genetic disorder on to the next generation, through their offspring. This non-directive branch of genetics, known as genetic counselling goes hand-in-hand with two other branches of genetics to allow the counsellor to identify certain genetic abnormalities and also provide hope to the patient that there is the possibility of having a normal child. One such branch is known as pharmacogenetics, a field of genetics that is advancing rapidly, and still has much allure and mystique to it. Its main aim is to make a significant impact, clinically, on the lives of patients it is employed to treat. It is a field that has quite a bit of potential to affect a large number of different groups within the healthcare field that ranges from pharmacists and physicians to pharmaceutical and insurance companies. Gene therapy is the other branch involved, and it has to do with the insertion of genes into the cells and tissues of an individual in order to treat a specific pathosis present. At the current time, both are new fields but with the commonplace innovations in technology occurring around us, it is not long before these two techniques will fulfil the hopes and aspirations of many people.