The Genome Railroad

Construction by the Central Pacific Railroad and Union Pacific Railroad of the 1,928 mile “Pacific Railroad” link between Council Bluff,IA/Omaha, NE and the San Francisco Bay at Oakland, CA via Ogden, UT and Sacramento, CA connecting with the existing railroad network to the East Coast creating the world’s first transcontinental railroad when it opened in 1869. Thank you Wikipedia

WASHINGTON — The medical community needs a plan for handling the fast-growing knowledge about the health risks identified through whole-genome sequencing, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, said here Tuesday.

Do you see the difference? The completed transcontinental RR and trains to run on the tracks were invented simultaneously. This changed American transportation for the better, forever! Today we still profit from it.
The completed genome unraveling seems to beg one question…so what?

The completed genome represents a breakthrough, but not for a patient. In my humbled opinion, this breakthrough profits both drug companies and the billing departments of every major medical facility. Prior to a family losing their loved one to cancer-a cancer that was accurately pinpointed very early thanks to genomic testing-families now will receive a final billing that will include tens of thousands of dollars for experimental drugs and, or course, genomic testing. 
I hate to sound sarcastic or pessimistic, but we don’t need more drugs or tests. Only until our doctors and researchers know the cause of these genetic mutations (eg…fungal mycotoxins) will we Americans see progress in our multi-trillion dollar medical industry aimed at “early detection and late billing.”

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