TO ERIC AND CATHY ON THE STAGE.

>> Cathy: ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU, DAVID.

AS WE'VE NOTED SEVERAL TIMES ALREADY TONIGHT, WE ARE HERE IN ROCHESTER AT THE HOME OF THE WORLD RENOWNED MAYO CLINIC.

RESEARCH IS BEING DONE TODAY HERE INTO TODAY'S MEDICAL MIST TRIS.

MIST TRIS.

MYSTERIES.

RESEARCH THAT RESULTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW THERAPIES.

RESEARCH THAT RESULTS IN NEW KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PRESSING HEALTH PROBLEMS.

MAYO'S CENTER FOR INDIVIDUALIZED MEDICINE IS LOOKING INTO HOW MICROPLASTICS, THOSE TINY PIECES OF PLASTIC THAT HAVE BEEN FOUND IN OUR WATER, FOOD AND AIR, ARE POTENTIALLY LINKED TO SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS.

THE HEAD OF THE CENTER FOR INDIVIDUALIZED MEDICINE HERE AT MAYO IS DR. KONSTANTINOS LAZARIDIS.

IT'S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: YOU MIGHT WANT TO PUT THE MICROPHONE RIGHT UP -- >> Eric: RIGHT UP BY YOUR MOUTH.

>> Cathy: THERE YOU GO, THERE YOU GO.

YOU ARE THE HEAD OF THE CENTER FOR INDIVIDUALIZED MEDICINE, PERSONALIZED MEDICINE, AND THAT'S REALLY BASED ON GENOMIC MEDICINE, YOUR GENETIC PROFILE, RIGHT?

SO I'M CURIOUS, WHAT IS THE POTENTIAL FOR DISEASE PREVENTION AND PREDICTION AND TREATMENT USING GENOMICS?

>> THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.

WE HAVE NOW EVIDENCE THAT UNDERSTANDING FOR GENETIC MATERIAL CAN PREVENT DISEASE.

THERE ARE MANY STUDIES THROUGHOUT INDICATING THAT UNDERSTANDING OUR SEQUENCE CAN IDENTIFY PEOPLE AT HIGH RISK FOR BREAST CANCER, OVARIAN CANCER, PROSTATE CANCER AND THE LIKES, HEART DISEASE.

SO WE HAVE IN PLACE STUDIES WHERE WE TRIED TO ENGAGE PARTICIPANTS AND ENROLL INTERESTED PATIENTS TO UNDERGO TESTING.

AND WE FOUND THAT FOR SOME BETTER CONDITIONS OF CANCER, WE IDENTIFY THE NDIVIDUALS AND GIVE THEM ACTIONABLE ELEMENTS TO PREVENT THE DISEASE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SCREENING.

AND WE KNOW THIS IS THE FUTURE.

WE THINK WE HAVE TO TEST MORE INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE AS WE UNDERSTAND THE GENETIC PREDISPOSITION, WE CAN BE MORE ACTIONABLE TO WHAT WE'RE PLANNING TO DO.

>> Eric: DO ALL PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW THIS INFORMATION IN ADVANCE OR IS THIS PATIENT BY PATIENT HOW THEY VIEW THIS?

>> MANY PATIENTS WANT TO DO IT.

MANY ARE SKEPTICAL.

BECAUSE WHEN SOMETHING'S CLINICAL AND THERE'S MEDICAL RECORDS AND THERE'S CONCERN THAT THIS INFORMATION, IN THE MEDICAL RECORDS, CAN BE DISCRIMINATED SOMETIMES FOR MEDICAL INSURANCE, THAT'S NOT THE CASE, BUT IT DOES NOT APPLY TO LIFE INSURANCE OR LONG-TERM INSURANCE.

SO THAT'S WHY PATIENTS ARE SKEPTICAL.

>> Cathy: SO YOU'RE DEALING WITH THE GENETIC CODE, RIGHT?

BUT THERE'S ALSO THE ENVIRONMENT, WE'RE EXPOSED TO SO MUCH.

AND YOU'RE STUDYING WHAT'S CALLED THE EXPO SOME, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT FOR THE AVERAGE VIEWER?

>> YES.

IT'S THE COLLECTIVE EXPOSURES WE ALL UNDERGO FROM THE TIME WE'RE IN UTERO, TO THE END OF OUR LIVES.

>> Cathy: OH, MY GOSH.

>> IT'S VERY COMPLEX TO STUDY.

>> ric: WOW.

>> BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, WE NOW KNOW FOR THE FIRST IME BECAUSE OF A STUDY IN EUROPE THAT FOR SOME DISEASES LIKE CHRONIC LUNG DISEASE, CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE, CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE, THE EXPOSOME IS PROBABLY TEN TIMES MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN OUR GENETIC MATERIAL.

EQUALLY IMPORTANTLY, THE EXPOSOME IS MORE EASILY MODIFIABLE AND WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY, WHEN YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR AND SOMEONE, YOUR PROVIDER TELLS YOU YOU SHOULD CHANGE YOUR DIET, THIS IS AN EXPOSOMIC INTERVENTION THAT CAN HAPPEN AT NO COST.

>> Eric: OH, SURE.

>> TO CHANGE YOUR GENETIC CODE, IT'S EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.

>> Cathy: OF COURSE.

>> TO DO.

>> Cathy: I'M WONDERING HERE, DOCTOR, WE HAVE A COUPLE MINUTES LEFT.

SO, THE CENTER FOR INDIVIDUALIZED MEDICINE, YOU SPECIFICALLY -- YOU'RE A LIVER DISEASE EXPERT.

AND PART OF OUR ENVIRONMENT, WE ARE JUST INUNDATED K MICROPLASTICS.

I'M WONDERING WHAT WE DO -- WHAT DO WE KNOW AT THIS POINT ABOUT SHORT-TERM OR LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF INGESTING MICROPLASTICS?

>> MICROPLASTICS HAVE SERVED US IN OUR NEEDS OVER THE SEVERAL DECADES, BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

THOSE ARE SMALL PARTICLES OF PLASTIC, OF LESS THAN FIVE MILLIMETERS IN IZE, WHICH HAVE BEEN FOUND IN MANY TISSUES, IN EVERY TISSUE, EVEN IN PLACENTA.

WE NOW KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME ASSOCIATIONS TO DISEASE.

NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS.

BUT WE HAVEN'T PROVEN ANY CAUSATION.

AND IT WILL TAKE TIME.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE LIKE TO DO TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT EXACTLY IS HAPPENING.

EXPOSURE IS ONE THING.

BIOLOGICAL CONNECTION AND FINDING THE WAYS OF HOW THIS LEADS TO DISEASE IS ANOTHER.

STUDY THAT WE HAVE TO DO.

AND WE ALL REALIZE THAT THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IF WE FIND THESE DIRECT CONNECTION, WE CAN DO SOMETHING TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING.

FOR THE TIME BEING, WE HAVE TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT AND AWARE ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES.

>> Cathy: BUT IT'S FASCINATING RESEARCH.

I MEAN, I WISH YOU WELL.

I'M SO HAPPY YOU'VE BEEN HERE WITH US ON OUR LIVE BROADCAST.