The Genome Odyssey: Medical Mysteries and the Incredible Quest to Solve Them
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- Create Date：2021-06-27 06:51:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Euan Angus Ashley
- ISBN：1250234999
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Summary
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 forty 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 readers 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。
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 forty 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 readers 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。
Reviews
Joanne Manaster
，
This book gave a great overview of the field of precision medical genomics and includes personal patient story as told by the doctor/researcher author。 I listened on audio， but also found myself purchasing a copy to take notes。
Keren Xu
，
Awesome book！ A history of precision medicine
Andrea
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//
Pam
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Interesting read about the advances in the study and application of genomes。Many interesting stories of how lives have been transformed with genetic therapeutic advances。
Lindsey
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Review to come。
Kris - My Novelesque Life
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RATING: 4 STARS2021; Celadon BooksI will be completely honest and say that I was a bit intimidated to start The Genome Odyssey。 I love science， but after grade 11 science， my brain was not having it。 Now that I don't have to read for school， I can be a bit gentle with myself。 Some of the book was a bit over my head， but on the whole Ashley does a great job in explaining things。 The stories/mysteries in the book were a great balance as it made the book flow better。 I started it back in April， and RATING: 4 STARS2021; Celadon BooksI will be completely honest and say that I was a bit intimidated to start The Genome Odyssey。 I love science， but after grade 11 science， my brain was not having it。 Now that I don't have to read for school， I can be a bit gentle with myself。 Some of the book was a bit over my head， but on the whole Ashley does a great job in explaining things。 The stories/mysteries in the book were a great balance as it made the book flow better。 I started it back in April， and read a good chunk in a sitting but it took me over a month to get back to it。 It is one of those books you pick up， and just read till your mind needs a break。 As the story wraps up， and I put it down， I didn't have that compulsion to get back to it。 That's kind of what happens to me with nonfiction books， unless the story carries to the end。 That is not a negative thing to the book at all。 I think that it's a strength that it is a book you will read over time。 I did pick it back up this week and read it in two more sittings。 I felt very proud of myself for finishing this book， and it not being a chore to complete。 It is a book， I think， I will pick up again to read certain portions。 Genetics are so interesting， and my interest has increased in knowing more with DNA being used with genealogy to solve cold cases。 This is not what this book was about， but it just shows how much there is in our body that pinpoints who we are。 I do wonder with genetic mapping in the future， if it will be come a bit more affordable and will it help prolong life。 Or maybe a healthier life。 If you have an interest in science but are like me， a bit overwhelmed with some topics， I think this might be a good book to try！***I received a complimentary copy of this ARC galley from the publisher。 Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own。*** 。。。more
Misha
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Review to come！
Ashleigh Lowery
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A perfect book for those with a background in genetics and a layperson。 A wonderful mix of patient stories and the science behind them， Ashley starts up the conversation about genome sequencing in modern medicine and how it can eventually filter down to your average doctors visit。
Deana Hamilton
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The personalized medicine we may want but can't afford。。。yet。 Great book on explaining what the genome is and how we can sequence to see what is in our genes。 The personalized medicine we may want but can't afford。。。yet。 Great book on explaining what the genome is and how we can sequence to see what is in our genes。 。。。more
Michiel
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In The Genome Odyssey， Ashley outlines how advantages in genome sequences are used to diagnose and treat rare genetic diseases。 He uses a causal and friendly writing style。 The book contains numerous small cases of patients， often with conditions in the author's field of expertise， cardiology。 Though these different cases are pretty interesting， I found the book itself somewhat disappointing。 It focuses predominantly on anecdotes instead of discussing the potential （and dangers！） of routinely us In The Genome Odyssey， Ashley outlines how advantages in genome sequences are used to diagnose and treat rare genetic diseases。 He uses a causal and friendly writing style。 The book contains numerous small cases of patients， often with conditions in the author's field of expertise， cardiology。 Though these different cases are pretty interesting， I found the book itself somewhat disappointing。 It focuses predominantly on anecdotes instead of discussing the potential （and dangers！） of routinely using sequencing in medicine。 The last three chapters aimed to paint a broader picture of the future， discussing precision medicine， gene therapy and sequencing of pathogens。 Too much of the book is， in my opinion， spent on describing the various patients， collaborators and innovators the author has encountered in his no doubt distinguished career。 Every page introduces a new character， complete with a three-sentence biography to convince the reader how wonderful， talented and successful that person is。 Many people might enjoy a glimpse into the many many players in medicine。 I prefer a stronger emphasis on the ideas and science （such as in， for example， Deep Medicine）。 。。。more
David Evanoff
，
Insider insights into the practical practices of genomic medicineGrateful Dr。 Ashley wrote this passionate narrative， focusing on the often severe challenges that patents， their families， and the people serving them face。 Makes their triumphs more convincing and moving。 Had hoped to read a shorter， more general treatment of the topic。 Now convinced my understanding is better for Dr。 Ashley's approach to the material。 Insider insights into the practical practices of genomic medicineGrateful Dr。 Ashley wrote this passionate narrative， focusing on the often severe challenges that patents， their families， and the people serving them face。 Makes their triumphs more convincing and moving。 Had hoped to read a shorter， more general treatment of the topic。 Now convinced my understanding is better for Dr。 Ashley's approach to the material。 。。。more
Becky Langston
，
For the average person it was hard for me to totally understand all the medical terminology， but what I did get out of the book was a passion for doctors and their dedication to improve the quality of human life。 They passionate and driven in their fields and they do take a human interest in the patient。 I did get an understand how complex the human body is， a true miracle。
Mallory
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This book is a bit outside my usual genres， but I was intrigued by the description and I was not disappointed。 It was maybe a little more heavy on the science than I needed， but it was also full of writing that felt like a person was just talking to me， not a famous doctor or scientist but just someone I’d bumped into or was friends with。 There were even surprising moments of humor！ And the anecdotes were full of relate able characters that were clearly seem as more than their disease or genetic This book is a bit outside my usual genres， but I was intrigued by the description and I was not disappointed。 It was maybe a little more heavy on the science than I needed， but it was also full of writing that felt like a person was just talking to me， not a famous doctor or scientist but just someone I’d bumped into or was friends with。 There were even surprising moments of humor！ And the anecdotes were full of relate able characters that were clearly seem as more than their disease or genetic defect。 I would have liked even more anecdotes but I know that is me and my style preferences。 It was fascinating to see how science has jumped leaps and bounds in just the last couple of decades。 It was interesting to see how genome sequencing could be used to help figure out what was wrong and what kind of treatment would be effective。 Definitely things I had never considered when he onslaught of various dna sequencing companies blossomed over the recent years。 。。。more
bonnie
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This might be the first audiobook I've listened to in which the author read the book 。。。 it made the humble brags downright nauseating。 Otherwise worth it / highly enjoyable as part of my current "reading all the popular genetics books" hobby。 This might be the first audiobook I've listened to in which the author read the book 。。。 it made the humble brags downright nauseating。 Otherwise worth it / highly enjoyable as part of my current "reading all the popular genetics books" hobby。 。。。more
Brian Smith
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Loved it！ Dr。 Ashley did a great job distilling complex topics into digestible， vivid， and at times highly emotional stories。 A solid and well deserved 5/5
Kaz
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As a lover of science and an avid researcher， this book immediately piqued my interest。 There had been a brief mention of the power of the genome at the start of my nursing education， but this was quickly swept aside to focus on what we had a handle on now， how we can diagnose and care for patients with what resources are at our fingertips。 Needless to say， after joining Dr。 Ashley on this journey， I am eager to see the numerous “what if” doors fly open within my lifetime。I believe wholeheartedl As a lover of science and an avid researcher， this book immediately piqued my interest。 There had been a brief mention of the power of the genome at the start of my nursing education， but this was quickly swept aside to focus on what we had a handle on now， how we can diagnose and care for patients with what resources are at our fingertips。 Needless to say， after joining Dr。 Ashley on this journey， I am eager to see the numerous “what if” doors fly open within my lifetime。I believe wholeheartedly that Dr。 Ashley was an author in a past life。 His storytelling skills are highlighted throughout this book and help to clear up some more complex science-y topics like CRP and the different lipoproteins。 Naturally， I treated this reading as I do any study session - pen in hand， coffee brewing， mind open （even as I write this review I have caffeine in easy reach）。 I made notes in the margins for easy review， did additional research to independently connect the dots and find patterns， and turned this into a Nancy Drew level uncovering of mysteries。Was I thrilled to recognize many of the topics mentioned in this book？ Absolutely。 Do I believe my years spent studying medicine aided my understanding of the material？ Yep。Does this mean this book cannot be consumed by the average person？ Not at all！In sum， I would encourage anyone who is curious and willing to march through the thickets to catch a glimpse of the elusive creature “genomics” to read this book。 To the degree medicine changes around us， these breakthroughs may become more commonplace。 How exciting！ 。。。more
Jim
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I won an advanced copy of this book on Goodreads。 This book is an interesting look into how medical issues and various developmental disabilities are mapped into our genome。 I enjoyed the stories and specific cases the best， it gave the book a personal touch and a positive view of humanity。 If I was the author I would have left out the COVID related items at the very end of the book。 The author writes that at this point there are no vaccines available， and as we all know now since the Trump Admi I won an advanced copy of this book on Goodreads。 This book is an interesting look into how medical issues and various developmental disabilities are mapped into our genome。 I enjoyed the stories and specific cases the best， it gave the book a personal touch and a positive view of humanity。 If I was the author I would have left out the COVID related items at the very end of the book。 The author writes that at this point there are no vaccines available， and as we all know now since the Trump Administration on to today's date several vaccines are currently available， so clearly this was written before the vaccines and the vaccines exist now and the information is changing everyday。 Even the so-called experts are getting things wrong on COVID or just guessing so I wouldn't put that in print since the pandemic is still going on and the information is going to keep on changing with it。 Overall I enjoyed reading this book。 。。。more
Maura Hahnenberger
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I was a bit skeptical before reading this book that I would like it。 I am a scientist and enjoy sciencey things， but biology was never super interesting to me and genomics just seemed abstract。But， WHOA， this book was such a great read。 At times it reads almost more like a novel than non-fiction。 The author personalizes not only the characters and people in the book， but also the science they are endeavoring。 The science is described in great ways using analogy and storytelling， I was never bore I was a bit skeptical before reading this book that I would like it。 I am a scientist and enjoy sciencey things， but biology was never super interesting to me and genomics just seemed abstract。But， WHOA， this book was such a great read。 At times it reads almost more like a novel than non-fiction。 The author personalizes not only the characters and people in the book， but also the science they are endeavoring。 The science is described in great ways using analogy and storytelling， I was never bored and rarely confused。If you have any interest in this topic， I definitely recommend it！ 。。。more
Mich
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Dr。 Euan Ashley has taken us beyond the mapping of the human genome and how it can now be accomplished for a small fraction of the cost and time to show us how the advances in DNA sequencing can be used to diagnose genetic diseases and in some cases mitigate their effects and potentially provide cures。 While a large number of cases he describes are cardiac related， as he is a cardiologist， the techniques can potentially be applied to all forms of diseases ， including Alzheimers and Cancer。 With Dr。 Euan Ashley has taken us beyond the mapping of the human genome and how it can now be accomplished for a small fraction of the cost and time to show us how the advances in DNA sequencing can be used to diagnose genetic diseases and in some cases mitigate their effects and potentially provide cures。 While a large number of cases he describes are cardiac related， as he is a cardiologist， the techniques can potentially be applied to all forms of diseases ， including Alzheimers and Cancer。 With his examples of precision medicine being applied today， even on a limited scale， he has provided an excellent roadmap to what medicine will be like in the near future。 。。。more
Fianna Whitman
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher and author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I loved this book。 Very informative。 I loved the patient stories that provide back up for all the science。 It made me think hard about the ways medicine is practiced， how we take too much for granted and how science deniers are totally unaware of what life would be like without these medical breakthroughs。
Carl
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Cutting edge genomic science and how it affects clinical medicine， very well written on both accounts。 The only thing that bothered me was that most of the patients were the somewhat fortunate few （in terms of access， either via connections and/or $）， but at this point in the odyssey of many of these diseases， that’s likely to occur。 The genomic details were somewhat above my pay-grade， but didn't detract from the overall impact of the stories。 Highly recommended。 Cutting edge genomic science and how it affects clinical medicine， very well written on both accounts。 The only thing that bothered me was that most of the patients were the somewhat fortunate few （in terms of access， either via connections and/or $）， but at this point in the odyssey of many of these diseases， that’s likely to occur。 The genomic details were somewhat above my pay-grade， but didn't detract from the overall impact of the stories。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Evan Gold
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Interesting as an athlete， fascinating as a student， this book had me asking questions
Diana N。
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What an interesting topic！ This book really takes you through how mapping genomes can help determine risk or figure out unknown genetic disease or conditions。 This type of research has come a long way in identifying health issues and determining ways to treat them and ways to improve a patient's life。 What an interesting topic！ This book really takes you through how mapping genomes can help determine risk or figure out unknown genetic disease or conditions。 This type of research has come a long way in identifying health issues and determining ways to treat them and ways to improve a patient's life。 。。。more
Diane
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In the last five years or so， I’ve invested a lot of time in books about the human genome。 My reading has included these excellent tomes （check out the apparently mandatory use of subtitles！）:The Gene: An Intimate History The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Future A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers， Perversions， and Potential of HeredityThe Tangled Tree: A Ra In the last five years or so， I’ve invested a lot of time in books about the human genome。 My reading has included these excellent tomes （check out the apparently mandatory use of subtitles！）:The Gene: An Intimate History The Invisible History of the Human Race: How DNA and History Shape Our Identities and Our Future A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers， Perversions， and Potential of HeredityThe Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of LifeInheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy， Paternity， and LoveThe Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna， Gene Editing， and the Future of the Human RaceAnd finally，The Genome Odyssey: Medical Mysteries and the Incredible Quest to Solve Them。Amazing to see the developments over that short period， and to see how increasing knowledge of the human genome has played out during the Covid-19 pandemic。The Genome Odyssey feels like the big payoff at the end of my five-year investment。 Euan Angus Ashley， MD， PhD is a professor of medicine and genetics at Stanford University， specializing in cardiology。 He writes of mostly young patients whose early-onset heart disease has gone unexplained by normal tests。 He explains how the growing database of “baseline”/“normal” genomes has allowed better and faster means of finding aberrations in the genome of these patients。 Familial genome comparison can root out how the error crept in—sometimes Mom and Dad， sometimes just Mom or just Dad， and sometimes a fluke of nature。 He then describes what can be done with the findings—everything from behavior modification to drug therapies to gene therapy or gene editing。Reading The Genome Odyssey is like seeing a new season of the TV show House （2004-2012）， updated to 2020。 The book is limited to cardiac cases because that is the author’s specialty。 One can just imagine parallel stories for cancer and prenatal screening。 Exciting stuff。 。。。more
Cynthia Livingston
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I have a real interest in this kind of information - but sadly it is written in a pretty boring style。
Katie/Doing Dewey
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Summary: I loved the patient stories in this book and am excited to find a popular science book explaining the details of precision medicine。If you've ever been interested in the potential of genome sequencing for personalized medicine， I highly recommend this book。 Stanford professor and author， Dr。 Euan Ashley， covers the development of sequencing technology in great detail。 He also includes many fascinating， moving cases of patients who have been helped by precision medicine。 Then he wraps up Summary: I loved the patient stories in this book and am excited to find a popular science book explaining the details of precision medicine。If you've ever been interested in the potential of genome sequencing for personalized medicine， I highly recommend this book。 Stanford professor and author， Dr。 Euan Ashley， covers the development of sequencing technology in great detail。 He also includes many fascinating， moving cases of patients who have been helped by precision medicine。 Then he wraps up with a look to possible future developments in the field。This book is very close to covering exactly what I do for work （although I'm on the research side， not in medicine）。 In some ways， that makes me a great reader and reviewer for this book。 I can tell you that it contains accurate information with a high degree of confidence。 Personally， it also made it more fun to read that I've met some of the people mentioned and heard of many others。 On the other hand， I don't feel confident in my ability to tell if concepts were explained clearly enough for any reader。 I know I admired some of the analogies the author used and I think everything is explained well。 I already knew many of the concepts in this book though， so it's probably easier for me to follow than for other readers。 I also found it a little more difficult to enjoy this during a week when I was already quite busy with work！I thought the level of detail the author went into was quite impressive。 He didn't avoid explaining technical concepts， which were necessary for him to tell some incredible stories。 While the technical bits make me excited to be able to recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about what I do， the patient stories were my favorite parts。 The research descriptions included some good people stories， but nothing so moving as hearing about how scientific advances improved quality and/or length of life for specific patients。 For that reason， I would also recommend this book to people who enjoy medical memoirs， although only if you're up for a healthy does of science concepts as well。 And this is definitely the book I'll reach for in the future if someone wants to understand how sequencing technology can impact health and medicine。This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey 。。。more
Stuart Low
，
An eye opening account of the developments that have taken place behind the scenes to help with many less well publicised illnesses that could however have a profound effect on the well being of all of us。 The journey was explained in a way that a non medical person such as myself could follow all the twists and turns easily， and has got me thinking about how the advancements in understanding described over the course of the book might benefit either myself or my family。
Brian Miller
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This is a fascinating books about the advances in genetics and how far we have come in the last twenty years。 It is written in a fairly accessible way for the layperson but still a difficult read as the subject matter is so complex that it is not a book that can be read in a few days; at least not by me。 I can't wait to see how much further we can travel in this area in the next twenty years。 The stories of the patients helped were really inspiring and to be able to diagnose a disease based on g This is a fascinating books about the advances in genetics and how far we have come in the last twenty years。 It is written in a fairly accessible way for the layperson but still a difficult read as the subject matter is so complex that it is not a book that can be read in a few days; at least not by me。 I can't wait to see how much further we can travel in this area in the next twenty years。 The stories of the patients helped were really inspiring and to be able to diagnose a disease based on genetics is the future of medicine。 A good book but requires all your attention。 This is not a book to be read without your undivided attention。Thank you Netgalley， Dr。 Euan Angus Ashley， Celadon Books for the ARC for my honest review。 。。。more
Vance Porter
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I may have won it （I received your notice。） but I never received the book。 I was looking forward to it。
Sharat Israni
，