DNA sequencing of anatomy lab cadavers to provide hands-on precision medicine introduction to medical students
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(2020) 20:437
TECHNICAL ADVANCE
Open Access
DNA sequencing of anatomy lab cadavers to provide hands-on precision medicine introduction to medical students Ramu Anandakrishnan1,2†, Tiffany L. Carpenetti1†, Peter Samuel1, Breezy Wasko3, Craig Johnson1, Christy Smith1, Jessica Kim1, Pawel Michalak1, Lin Kang1, Nick Kinney1,2, Arben Santo1, John Anstrom1, Harold R. Garner1,2 and Robin T. Varghese1,2*†
Abstract Background: Medical treatment informed by Precision Medicine is becoming a standard practice for many diseases, and patients are curious about the consequences of genomic variants in their genome. However, most medical students’ understanding of Precision Medicine derives from classroom lectures. This format does little to foster an understanding for the potential and limitations of Precision Medicine. To close this gap, we implemented a hands-on Precision Medicine training program utilizing exome sequencing to prepare a clinical genetic report of cadavers studied in the anatomy lab. The program reinforces Precision Medicine related learning objectives for the Genetics curriculum. Methods: Pre-embalmed blood samples and embalmed tissue were obtained from cadavers (donors) used in the anatomy lab. DNA was isolated and sequenced and illustrative genetic reports provided to the students. The reports were used to facilitate discussion with students on the implications of pathogenic genomic variants and the potential correlation of these variants in each “donor” with any anatomical anomalies identified during cadaver dissection. Results: In 75% of cases, analysis of whole exome sequencing data identified a variant associated with increased risk for a disease/abnormal condition noted in the donor’s cause of death or in the students’ anatomical findings. This provided students with real-world examples of the potential relationship between genomic variants and disease risk. Our students also noted that diseases associated with 92% of the pathogenic variants identified were not related to the anatomical findings, demonstrating the limitations of Precision Medicine. (Continued on next page)
* Correspondence: [email protected] † Ramu Anandakrishnan, Tiffany L. Carpenetti and Robin T. Varghese contributed equally to this work. 1 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, (VCOM), VA, Biomedical Sciences, 2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA 2 Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute, Spartanburg, SC 29303, USA Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s). 2020 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit lin
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