Medicine and healthcare appear to be in the midst of previously unimaginable changes. These changes might result in an improvement in our understanding of the nature of disease and, in time, assist us in predicting how a patient might respond to treatment. However, the fact remains, sweeping changes have been made to the way medical information is shared and accessed, and the cornerstones of medical law are being eroded for a science still in its infancy. The coming together of genomics, genetics and society in entirely novel ways, brings with it risks that are difficult to quantify, and must be the object of open and sustained public discussion. Genetics, genomics and advanced biotechnology are not business as usual. The public must therefore be given a central role in decision making ...