Cracking the Genomics Code


barbae (razor bumps), dermatosis papulosa nigra, and vitiligo — Crutchfield is able to leverage his expertise into business success. He has spent more than $100,000 of his own funds on DNA-based research to develop the treatment for psoriasis and is in preliminary discussions with his partners to offer patients a percentage of the profits from the research and development of biological medicine based on their participation. “Eventually [the investment] should come back to us as we sell our patent rights,” he says. “I look at it as an investment in something that might have a lucrative benefit — it’s a win for the patients, a win for the drug companies, and it’s good for the practice.”

Crutchfield received his medical degree and a master’s degree in molecular biology from the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Medicine and is currently a clinical associate professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School.


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