Genomics and Neurology

Dr. Slosar is director, ethics. Ascension Health, St. Louis. I 'essica Blasko's review of genomic neurology clearly illustrates one of the most immediate consequences of the completion of the Human Genome Project (HGP). The HGP .ias resulted in a steady stream of new information and an exponential growth in the understanding of disease and its genetic basis. As Blasko notes, this increase in our ability to understand the influence of genetics on disease has far outpaced our ability to implement this information clinically. Indeed, many current ethical issues in genomic medicine stem from our ability to know but not to cure. For this reason, main of the ethical issues that arise in the context of genomic neurology will be similar to those raised by the impact of genomics on other areas of medicine.