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Personalised medicine: from home genetic testing to biotech research

I was surprised to learn that a well-known home genetic testing company had transformed into a biotech firm. They are now conducting research in immuno-oncology and branching into various fields such as cancer, cardiovascular, and neurology. Why did they make this change? Apparently, this was a "logical" transition that they had planned to leverage the millions of people's genetic data they had collected. This data can help identify patterns in our DNA to improve our understanding of human health and diseases. The biotech industry is increasingly embracing cell and gene therapies to provide customised treatments whereby therapies are tailored to an individual's unique genetic makeup. Personalised medicine uses a person's genetic profile to help inform decisions to help prevent, diagnose, treat, and even halt disease progression. What do you think about this transition and the use of consumer health data? Further reading: https://sanogenetics.com/resources/blog/fro

How one drug can treat multiple conditions

Sometimes, a drug that works for one condition can also have benefits for another one because the human body has many intricate mechanisms and processes—for example, Science’s 2023 breakthrough of the year - GLP-1 agonists. When researchers develop a drug, they focus on a specific target, like managing blood sugar in diabetes. But sometimes, these drugs can work on other targets, too. Semaglutide (a GLP-1 agonist), for example, not only boosts insulin production but also reduces appetite and slows digestion, leading to weight loss with some ‘manageable’ side effects. This unexpected benefit opened the door for its approval in obesity treatment. After realising this breakthrough, doctors started prescribing Semaglutide off-label as a weight loss medication. This unexpected benefit opened the door for its approval in obesity treatment. Off-label prescribing: why? Even for approved uses, not every drug works for every patient. Doctors, with their clinical expertise, can sometimes prescrib

Antibiotic Awareness and Abuse (extended Instagram post)

 ðŸ‘‡English Translation below!👇 مضادات الحيوية وسوء المعاملة !!!

Reversing T2 Diabetes Using Really Low Calorie Diets | World Diabetes Day 2017

14.11.2017 World Diabetes Day 2017 November (2017) is World Diabetes Month and the theme is Women & Diabetes . I was invited to join this great campaign by Krishana Sankar, who has been doing awesome work all over her social media ( IG  and  Twitter ) throughout this month. Over social media you will be seeing a blue circle which is a symbol of the IDF WDD campaign - so look out for it and don't forget to share!  Also be sure to check out my Instagram where I will be sharing diabetes facts from the IDF and Twitter where I will be sharing everyone's updates on WDD. On top of a healthy diet, it's recommended that on average, an adult should fit in 150 minutes of exercise a week.  The reason behind #150mins is based on studies that have shown to maintain healthy lifestyles, adults should be physically active for at least 150 mins per week. This is related to diabetes since people with pre-diabetes and early-onset type 2 diabetes can possibly reverse the diseas

The NHS, DeepMind and a case of mystified priorities...

Next year the National Health Service— the public healthcare service in the UK— will celebrate its 70 th birthday, but will it be the version of the NHS that its creators imagined it to be? The NHS is being pulled in all directions with the government pulling at one side (with its lack of spending) and Big Pharma pulling at the other side (attempting to take the NHS to court over the use of cheaper drugs). So how much longer can the NHS take all of this? With austerity pressurising the NHS into reducing its spending costs on medications, the NHS is turning to new, innovative and cheaper therapeutics along with methods for monitoring their patients. Albeit taking a controversial route with their deal with Google’s AI (artificial intelligence) company— DeepMind .  Does the NHS think AI is the answer to all of their problems? Most likely, yes, because the NHS have placed a mountain of trust in DeepMind, giving them access to a shocking 1.6 million patient’s health data, without thei

Reversing Type 2 Diabetes Just by Losing Weight

Its not easy living with type 2 diabetes and regulating your own blood sugar levels, through diet and exercise. Around 9% of the worlds population live with type 2 diabetes, with 80% coming from poor background and developing countries and it is now being found in young adults and children, after it was renowned for being as an "adult-onset" disease. Type 2 diabetes c auses too much glucose in the blood due to the pancreas not producing enough insulin -- a hormone which breaks down glucose into energy in the cells -- together with insulin resistance, a condition in which the body responds poorly to insulin. The scientific team at  Newcastle  university  found  that by reducing the fat accumulating in the pancreas, even only one gram of fat, via  weight  loss can reverse diabetes.  Via bariatric surgery   In the clinical trials, 18 people with Type 2 diabetes and 9 people who did not have diabetes were measured for weight, fat levels in the pancreas and i