What does personalised medicine mean for you?

Medicine has always been personal to some extent - a doctor looks for the best way to help the patient sitting in front of them.

But with advances in technology, it is becoming possible to use the most unique of characteristics - our genomes - to tailor treatments for individuals.

Genomes are made up of a complete set of our DNA, including all of our genes, and are the instruction manual on how to build and maintain the 37 trillion cells in our bodies.

Any two people share more than 99% of their DNA. It's the remaining less than 1% that makes us unique, and can affect the severity of a disease and effectiveness of treatments.

Looking at these small differences can also help us understand the best way to treat a patient for a range of diseases - from cancer and heart disease to depression.

The full BBC article can be viewed at this link.