Genomic Screening to Detect Preventable Rare Diseases in Healthy People? University of North Carolina Study

Millions of people unknowingly carry rare gene mutations that put them at high risk of developing preventable diseases such as colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and several catastrophic blood vessel disorders. University of North Carolina experts from the School of Medicine and from the Gillings School of Global Public Health propose that screening healthy adults for these and other specific, rare genetic disorders could potentially prevent these diseases. Their commentary in the March 7, 2013 issue of Genetics in Medicine offers a framework for how such screening might be developed.