Throughout his life, Milton Hershey was an entrepreneur well-recognized for his many philanthropic endeavors. His vision for the community of Hershey, Pennsylvania was downright utopic – a place where his workforce could live decent, fulfilling lives and have access to quality education and entertainment. Now, thanks to the efforts of the folks at the Hershey Medical Center, his legacy will live on in a new data center on the cutting edge of medical science.
The data center, which is expected to open in April of next year, will record and analyze the genetic material of patients in order to assess their risk factors for disease and generate predictive models to help prevent disease in the future. The medical center has already started gathering genetic samples from members of the local community. Over time, the data center will become a massive compendium of human genetic material, granting doctors and researchers valuable new insight into the effect that an individual’s genome can have on their potential for disease.
As of January of 2015, nearly 100 people had already submitted genetic samples to the project. According to local publication Penn Live, “Thus far, the recruitment has focused on people affected by about two dozen conditions, including ALS, multiple sclerosis, childhood epilepsy and inter-cranial aneurysms.”
When the first human genome was decoded, the project cost nearly $3 billion to complete. Today, complete genome sequencing costs less than $2,000. As genetic analysis becomes more and more affordable, data centers such as this one may well become our best hope at abolishing some of humanity’s most devastating diseases.
Here at Construction Protection Systems we’re proud to have had the opportunity to play a part, however small, in the development of a medical center at the forefront of discovery and innovation. Stay tuned for more updates from the makers of 1-2-3 Door Shield – the original, reusable door protection system.