When diagnosing genetic illness and deciding on an appropriate treatment plan for a patient, physicians rely largely on educated guesswork. After that, it takes trial and error to determine whether the treatment works. But with advances in genetic testing, much of the guesswork can be eliminated and replaced with scientific certainty.
Genetics already help medical professionals in a few different ways, like identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that lead to genetic conditions. Testing can also help us more successfully treat illnesses that are caused by the interaction of two or more polymorphic genes.
