Opinion

Prospective health care: the second transformation of medicine

Ralph Snyderman1* and Jason Langheier1,2,3

Author Affiliations

1 Duke University Medical Center, DUMC 3059, Durham, NC 27710, USA

2 Proventys, Inc., 2200W. Main Street, Suite L110, Durham, NC 27705

3 Harvard School of Public Health, 35 Park Drive, Boston, MA 02215, USA

For all author emails, please log on.

Genome Biology 2006, 7:104 doi:10.1186/gb-2006-7-2-104

Published: 27 February 2006

Abstract

Emerging scientific technologies provide rich sources of predictive biomarkers, which could transform health care. Identification of causal biomarkers will enable the development of tools to quantify risk and anticipate disease. Accurate health risk analysis is rapidly becoming feasible, so health care can become rational, preventive and personalized.