Smartphone as a Personal Genome Assistant
A few months ago, I wrote about a press release:
Using the Google Phone’s built-in bar code reader, Dr. Pellionisz demonstrated how personal genome computing can detect genome-friendly and genome-supportive products from foods to cosmetics to building materials and beyond.
You upload data from personal health record system such as Microsoft Healthvault or Google Health; genomic data from 23andMe or Navigenics to your smartphone and then by using the bar code reader, you can find products that are probably good for you based on your genomic and health profiles. Though the system has several limitations (e.g. how useful genomic data is right now regarding medical decisions), it sounds quite interesting.
Here is the process on video:
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For urgent automation of consumer choices we don’t have to reach the “let’s get medical” stage. The smart phone based (computerized) system can be used in a user-friendly manner e.g. for effectively shopping compliant with personal decisions and preferences, such as if one decides to be vegetarian, or prefers not to check into hotels were they use a certain detergent for laundry – since the person is allergic to its scent-ingredient. Consumes make choices and may have preferences without seeing any doctor – just based on their personal experience and liking or disliking certain ingredients. An allergy may be seen as a medical (or even “genomic”) condition – but in a preventive mode for the consumer it is way too urgent to stay away from undesirable effects much before the medical profession figures out why someone does not tolerate (or prefer) certain scents or other ingredients. As our environment decided to “let’s get chemical”, the answer is to “let’s get computerized” to sort out the mess – Dr. Pellionisz