US FDA acting chief identifies focus on genomics

The US Food and Drug Administration has created a new position in the Office of the FDA's Chief Scientist dedicated to coordinating and  upgrading the agency's activities involving genomics and the related  fields of science that are involved in the analysis of complex DNA,  protein and small-molecular expression patterns, noted acting  Commissiner Frank Torti on his first weekly web site blog. Through  genomics, scientists are able to develop medical products and  nutritional recommendations, he said, that are sometimes called  "personalized medicine" - recommendations and therapies designed for  individuals of a certain genetic makeup, which should increase a  product's effectiveness and decrease the risk of harmful side effects.  For the FDA, insights gained through genomics point a way to faster and  more efficient evaluation of new medical therapies, he added.

Leading this new effort at the FDA is Liz Mansfield, a scientist who has  held high level policy and scientific positions at the FDA and in the  private sector. As Senior Genomics Advisor, Dr Mansfield will focus on  the FDA's goal of providing its physicians and scientists with tools and  personnel capable of high-level analysis of complex genetic data, Dr  Torti stated.