Cracking Your Genetic Code

Are we ready for personalized, gene-based medicine?

Overview

What will it mean when most of us can afford to have the information in our DNA - all three billion chemical letters of it - read, stored, and available for analysis. Cracking Your Genetic Code reveals that we stand on the verge of such a revolution. Meet a cancer patient who appears to have cheated death and a cystic fibrosis sufferer breathing easily because scientists have been able to pinpoint and neutralize the genetic abnormalities underlying their conditions. But what are the moral dilemmas raised by this new technology? Will it help or hurt us to know the diseases that may lie in our future? What if such information falls into the hands of insurance companies, employers, or prospective mates? One thing is for certain: the new era of personalized, gene-based medicine is relevant to everyone, and soon you will be choosing whether to join the ranks of the DNA generation.

Production

PBS