The Genome Odyssey

Medical Mysteries and the Incredible Quest to Solve Them

By: Dr. Euan Angus Ashley

Narrated by: Dr. Euan Angus Ashley

Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

This program is read by the author.

In The Genome Odyssey, Dr. Euan Ashley, Stanford professor of medicine and genetics, brings the breakthroughs of precision medicine to vivid life through the real diagnostic journeys of his patients and the tireless efforts of his fellow doctors and scientists as they hunt to prevent, predict, and beat disease.

Since the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003, the price of genome sequencing has dropped at a staggering rate. It’s as if the price of a Ferrari went from $350,000 to a mere 40 cents. Through breakthroughs made by Dr. Ashley’s team at Stanford and other dedicated groups around the world, analyzing the human genome has decreased from a heroic multibillion dollar effort to a single clinical test costing less than $1,000.

For the first time we have within our grasp the ability to predict our genetic future, to diagnose and prevent disease before it begins, and to decode what it really means to be human.

In The Genome Odyssey, Dr. Ashley details the medicine behind genome sequencing with clarity and accessibility. More than that, with passion for his subject and compassion for his patients, he introduces listeners to the dynamic group of researchers and doctor detectives who hunt for answers, and to the pioneering patients who open up their lives to the medical community during their search for diagnoses and cures.

He describes how he led the team that was the first to analyze and interpret a complete human genome, how they broke genome speed records to diagnose and treat a newborn baby girl whose heart stopped five times on the first day of her life, and how they found a boy with tumors growing inside his heart and traced the cause to a missing piece of his genome.

These patients inspire Dr. Ashley and his team as they work to expand the boundaries of our medical capabilities and to envision a future where genome sequencing is available for all, where medicine can be tailored to treat specific diseases and to decode pathogens like viruses at the genomic level, and where our medical system as we know it has been completely revolutionized.

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Dr. Euan Angus Ashley (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Great Narration and Content!

A concise and easy to follow exploration into the complex topic of genomics. The ever blossoming field of multi-omics can be daunting but works like this offer all the more encouragement for approaching such topics to further research that can have a direct and meaningful impact on lives.

Fascinating

As someone interested in healthcare and technology but without a lot of formal biology training, this book offered a blend of interesting narrative and review of the science or applying genomics in medicine. Would highly recommend to fans of Gawande and Topol.

if you are human, read ir

I am still processing but this is a book that has changed me and my place in this world in ways I have yet to understand.

Outstanding story of the genome revolution

An incredible account of the genome revolution from the front lines! Uniquely, narrated by the author, Dr. Ashley who has an incredible story to tell of how the foundations for the revolution were laid at Stanford and how that work has translated to remarkable stories of how patients were diagnosed and treated in the clinic. One of the best books I've read in recent times, highly recommended for anyone interested in genomics and its application in practice.

Easy to understand and to follow

Good, not excellent.
Undoubtedly, shade the light on the future potential of genetics in genetics genetics treatment.

Written for the general audience. For new comers to the genetics field it provides good introduction for the current use and future potential of genomics in medicine and health care.
Tnx for the reference.

Interesting at times but repetitive, badly written

Some of the stories are very interesting, but the author did a bad job of making a book or story out of them. The characters, doctors, scientists and patients, are all flawlessly positive and outstanding in several ways, making this book sound like a collection of high school level assays.

Also, there is an unmistakable thread of arrogance and pride of the author himself, with sparkles of flase modesty, that make this into an unpleasant read/listen.