Despite the fact that only 27 percent of people said they knew what personalized medicine is (and only 4 percent could describe it accurately) , more than 50 percent of consumers are aware of genetic tests and keen to have them. It indicates that a growing number of people may be interested in testing before they get sick.

A survey by market research firm GfK found that the more health concerns participants had, the more interested they were in genetic tests and personalized medicines potential. For example, of the 602 people who participated in the online survey, just over 14 percent said they were very interested in genetic tests but that figure jumped to 48 percent if the respondent had cancer. Cost associated with testing was the biggest concern for 45 percent of respondents.

The majority, 65 percent, preferred to hear about genetic tests through their physician or nurse rather than the Web (45 percent) or mailings to their house accompanies by educational material (31 percent).

But personalized medicine remains more of a curiosity beyond industry publications and those who have a personal stake in knowing about it i.e., patents. It will take longer before it becomes more widely understood to the general public.

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Personalized medicine needs 23andMe awareness campaign

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