The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine

by Francis S Collins Narrated by Greg Itzin

Overview

""His groundbreaking work has changed the very ways we consider our health and examine disease.” -Barack Obama

From Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institute of Health, 2007 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and 15-year head of the Human Genome Project, comes one of the most important medical books of the year: The Language of Life. With accessible, insightful prose, Dr. Collins describes the medical, scientific, and genetic revolution that is currently unlocking the secrets of “personalized medicine,” and offers practical advice on how to utilize these discoveries for you and your family's current and future health and well-being. In the words of Dr. Jerome Groopman (How Doctors Think), The Language of Life “sets out hope without hype, and will enrich the mind and uplift the heart.”

Editorial Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

The new director of the National Institutes of Health and former leader of the government's project to map the human genome is upbeat about personalized medicine-using genetics and family history to determine your risk for disease and designing appropriate treatments accordingly. Collins (The Language of God: A Scientist Presents the Evidence for Belief, 2006) anonymously investigated three leading commercial firms offering genetic analyses by sending them a cheek swab or saliva sample to be measured against gene variants associated with a range of diseases, as well as sensitivity to some commonly used drugs. Gratifyingly, the firms were consistent in their results, although the costs ranged from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Already Collins has adopted some lifestyle changes to improve his odds of avoiding conditions for which he is at risk. His point is that personalized medicine is here now, even though scientists have just scratched the surface of conditions for which genetic risk can be identified. Soon the science will accelerate and the costs will come down. Unfortunately, there are no cures for Huntington's or Alzheimer's disease, so some people may not want to know their risk. Others may want to know if they or an intended spouse are carriers of a recessive disease. Indeed, there are many moral/ethical issues that Collins raises as he reviews the science. He is a first-rate, entertaining expositor, taking the reader through Genetics 101 and providing case studies about genetic medicine in relation to common cancers, aging, the brain, infections and immunity. One striking case was that of an AIDS patient with leukemia who received a stem-cell transplant from a donorwith a mutation preventing the AIDS virus from infecting immune cells. The transplant took and the patient was cured of his leukemia and AIDS. Collins does not demean the role of environment and accidents in his enthusiasm for personalized medicine, and he only lightly treads on issues of genes for sexuality, intelligence, etc., professing skepticism. Even if readers aren't ready to swab their cheeks today, they will learn a lot about the current state of DNA science and its potential. Agent: Gail Ross/Gail Ross Literary Agency

From the Publisher

His groundbreaking work has changed the very ways we consider our health and examine disease.” — President Barack Obama

“The future of customized medicine is in your DNA; don’t wait until you are sick to learn why.” — Dr. Mehmet Oz, author of You: The Owner's Manual

“With fluid prose and compelling narratives, Francis Collins makes modern medical science vivid and accessible. This book sets out hope without hype, and will enrich the mind and uplift the heart.” — Jerome Groopman, M.D., Recanati Professor, Harvard Medical School, Author of How Doctors Think

“Man’s knowledge of man is undergoing the greatest revolution since Leonardo, and Francis Collins is at the leading edge of it. I am a better doctor today because Dr. Collins was my genetics professor in medical school, and now, the world gets to benefit from his wisdom by reading The Language of Life.” — Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Neurosurgeon at Emory University and Chief Medical Correspondent for CNN

President Barack Obama

His groundbreaking work has changed the very ways we consider our health and examine disease.

Dr. Mehmet Oz

The future of customized medicine is in your DNA; don’t wait until you are sick to learn why.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Man’s knowledge of man is undergoing the greatest revolution since Leonardo, and Francis Collins is at the leading edge of it. I am a better doctor today because Dr. Collins was my genetics professor in medical school, and now, the world gets to benefit from his wisdom by reading The Language of Life.

Jerome Groopman

With fluid prose and compelling narratives, Francis Collins makes modern medical science vivid and accessible. This book sets out hope without hype, and will enrich the mind and uplift the heart.

Doctor - Mehmet Oz

"The future of customized medicine is in your DNA; don’t wait until you are sick to learn why."

President - Barack Obama

"His groundbreaking work has changed the very ways we consider our health and examine disease."

Doctor - Sanjay Gupta

"Man’s knowledge of man is undergoing the greatest revolution since Leonardo, and Francis Collins is at the leading edge of it. I am a better doctor today because Dr. Collins was my genetics professor in medical school, and now, the world gets to benefit from his wisdom by reading The Language of Life."

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173636010
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/05/2010
Edition description:	Unabridged

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