Dr. Howard Jacob to Discuss Personalized Medicine at Inaugural Forbes Healthcare Summit

Howard J. Jacob, Ph.D., Warren P. Knowles Professor and Chair of Genetics and Director of the Human and Molecular Genetics Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), will sit on a panel and present his vision of the future of personalized medicine at the inaugural Forbes Healthcare Summit on December 5 in New York City.

The summit, hosted by Forbes CEO and Editor-in-Chief Steve Forbes, brings together national healthcare leaders, innovators, educators, and entrepreneurs to discuss some of the biggest challenges in healthcare (rising costs and epidemics of diseases such as obesity and diabetes) and new innovations that will drive the future of health care.

Dr. Jacob’s team of researchers and clinicians at MCW and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin was the first to successfully use whole exome (DNA) sequencing to save the life of a little boy. Dr. Jacob will open a panel discussion about the use of DNA sequencing to guide medical care for patients.

“Personalized medicine incorporates several new tools and methodologies for patient care,” said Dr. Jacob. “By sequencing DNA, we can learn what diseases you might be prone to developing and use that information for preventive care. Physicians can also use that information to prescribe the best medications to treat specific conditions. In rare genetic diseases, sequencing can sometimes identify the specific root of the disease and guide a treatment plan.”