Exploring predisposition and treatment response--the promise of genomics

Spurred by large-scale public and private efforts as well as technological developments, the last few years have seen a major leap forward in our understanding of the genetic basis of cardiovascular disease. This revolution is in its infancy and will continue to alter the medical landscape for years to come. There is a need within the general cardiology community to develop a better understanding about how these developments may alter routine clinical care. In this review, we will provide an overview of the current state of genetics as pertains to rare cardiovascular diseases and then review advances in the discovery of the genetic basis of common disease with the potential for improved risk assessment and drug development. We will also outline a few recent examples of pharmacogenetic advances that are already starting to become a part of clinical management and finally discuss the promise as well as the challenges in using next-generation sequencing technologies to provide personalized cardiovascular care.