From Farm to Pharma: public health challenges of nutrigenomics

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From Farm to Pharma public health challenges of
nutrigenomics

• Minakshi Bhardwaj, PhD
• Cardiff University, UK
• bhardwajm_at_cardiff.ac.uk
• http//www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/cesagen/gendata/

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Genomics the promises

• Many of the promises of the post genome era tend
  to be promoted in terms of benefits to the
  individuals, e.g. personal pills and
  personalised diet

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DH White paper 2003

• We will learn more about the genetic features
  of common diseases such as heart disease and
  diabetes and the way external factors such as
  diet and smoking interact with our genes to
  increase likelihood of developing a given disease

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The context

• Public health concerns. e.g obesity, diabetes
• Novel foods. eg GM, nutriceuticals, functional
  foods
• Understanding of genetics
• Ethical paradigms
• Individual and choice

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Nutritional genomics

• Nutrigenetics
• The study of individual differences at genetic
  level (SNPs) influencing response to diet.
• i.e effects of individual genetic variation in
  response to diet
• Personalised nutrition genetic testing
• Potential benefit and harm

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Contd

• Nutrigenomics
• The application of genomics in nutrition
  research, enabling associations to be made
  between specific nutrients and genetic factors.
• Study of nutrient-gene interactions
• Systems biology
• Research ethics funding allocations

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Acquisition of information

• Association studies
• Population groups
• Specific disorders
• National dietary surveys
• Genetic databases

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Information leading to applications

• Understanding how nutrition affects metabolic
  pathways
• Understanding how this influences diet related
  diseases
• The role of individual genotypes

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public good model

• Susceptibility testing
• Pharmacogenomics
• Nutrigenomics
• Framing risk
• Individual, joint and relative risk
• Serious/not serious

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Public health

• Will nutrigenomics have significant public health
  benefits?
• Differences between nutrigenomics and
  pharmacogenomics

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Contextual issues

• What counts as public health?
• Determinants of health
• Individual vs. collective benefits
• Images of food
• Individualism and choice
• Target groups basis of groups
• The value impact of genomics
• Personalisation of what?

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Personalisation project

• Personalisation as a policy tool
• Personalisation as an objective of genomic
  research
• Commercial exploitation
• As an ethical argument- reducing genomic divide
• (Getting Personal report Food Ethics Council
  2005)

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Aspirations or promises?

• Accuracy of claims
• Screening vs. testing
• Determinism vs. probability
• Empowerment vs. exploitation

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Acknowledgment

• Prof. Ruth Chadwick
• Prof. Søren Holm

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A Lancaster Cardiff collaboration