An article about the importance of genomics to the future of medicine, in the Mayo Clinic Connection:

The term "genomics" refers to the study of genes and their function. The term "genome" refers to all the genetic information each of us has in our body.

The reason medical scientists are excited about genomics is that it opens new possibilities for designing more effective and safer treatments for many diseases. Mayo Clinic is among the leading medical centers worldwide in developing new genomic therapies through its newly opened Mayo Clinic Genomics Research Center. (opens in new window) 

Mayo Clinic physicians anticipate a day — not too far in the future — when physicians can look at a person’s genetic code and determine at a molecular level who’s at risk of disease, how aggressive that disease    will be, and which course of treatment will be best to treat the disease without harmful side effects.