You've probably heard about some of the breakthroughs in personal genome sequencing, where companies take a look at your DNA and send back your risk profile. That can be confusing information to have (check out this post from Quest blogger Dr. Barry Starr for his take on it). But there's a flip side to all this genetic research that doesn't have to do with risk: personalized medicine. That's where doctors can customize medical treatments to fit your genetic profile.

Right now, there are only a handful of drugs that are labeled with genetic information, so doctors can take it into consideration. (Here's an article from the New York Times that gives an overview).  But that doesn't mean existing medications are left out.  I spent some time with Deanna Kroetz in this story, who studies pharmacogenomics at UC San Francisco.  She explained that differences in our DNA can cause some of us to process drugs at different rates. We all metabolize drugs with enzymes in the liver, but based on expression of our DNA, we may have different levels of enzymes or our enzymes may not function as well.

There are plenty of other things that affect how we process drugs, like our diet or other drugs we're taking. But these genetic differences mean some people metabolize drugs quickly and others metabolize them slowly. One example that many people are familiar with is codeine.  Codeine is converted into morphine by our bodies and it's the morphine that actually has an effect — but that conversion depends on a particular enzyme. Some people have very low levels of the enzyme that's needed, so codeine doesn't do much for them.

They're also studying another drug response mechanism at UCSF and it has to do with our cells. Many drugs have to go inside our cells in order to have an effect, but if you think back to high school biology, you might remember that cells are protected by membranes.  It takes transporters – those special gatekeepers sitting on the cell membranes — to allow things in.  They also can spit things out of cells.

I spent some time in the lab with Rachel LaFond, a graduate student at UCSF.  She was running experiments on one particular transporter known as ABCG2. This transporter is particularly good at spitting things out of cells. Normally its job is to kick toxins out, but some cancers have been able to hijack this machinery.  Cancer cells with an over expression of this transporter can spit out chemotherapy drugs, which means they aren't helping the patient.  LaFond is working to understand this variation better, so they could one day develop a genetic test for it.

Listen to the Personalized Medicine radio report online.

I love my dog. For the past ten years, through thick and thin, Brodie has been my happy sidekick, trusted confidant, eager hiking partner and beloved friend. Most of all the kid makes me laugh. He is, I am prone to say, "a glorious twit!" And even though he is getting up in years he can still out-swim, out-surf and out-dig any dog on the beach. I am fat with the tales and wagging tails of our adventures and misadventures. He was the chaperone when my wife and I had our first date. And if I had my way he would have been the ring-bearer at our wedding. My daughter's first word was "Bro-die!" And it swells my heart each morning when he pads into her room, and she sleepily exclaims "Woof-woof." He is simply a valued and integral part of my family.

As special as my relationship with Brodie is to me, I know it's not unique. Many of us know the startling joy of being woken up by a wet nose or a slobbery lick on the cheek early Sunday morning. Everyone who knows and loves dogs will happily tell you about their favorite pooch. The Quest team has Bailey and Carrot and Skinny and Shadow and Bro. We talk about them as we would talk about our children. And even though I haven't met all of the Quest pups, I know them through their favorite people. And that brings me to Quest TV Producer Amy Miller's wonderful German Shepherd dog, Pierre. Pierre was battling cancer as we went into production on this story. Then sadly, by the time we completed this Quest episode, Pierre had been laid to rest. It was a heartbreaking blow to our friend and colleague. And I think all of us felt and understood her loss. Therefore, it is for Pierre that I dedicated this story and now think fondly of all our canine friends past, present and future.

Our time with them is sweet but painfully short. Enjoy every walk, every game of fetch at the park, every romp on the beach and every quiet moment with them curled up under your feet. Put up with their occasional mischievous misdeeds- the drinking out of toilets, getting into the garbage or chewing up your slippers. Remember, they're all good dogs. Smile and scratch them behind the ears. All they give is love and that is all they desire back… that and maybe a little treat.

Watch the Fido Fights Cancer television story online. Also, don't miss our set of behind-the-scenes photos for this story.