New Technology, What is Genetic Assessment?
Genetic Assessment is a New Technology Aimed at Reading Your DNA
May 30, 2009
Genetic assessment is a new technology that is sometimes confused with paternity testing as it also has been referred to as a "DNA test." It is very different, in fact, as the typical DNA paternity test will compare two sets of results provide the probability of a match. Genetic assessment compares DNA to a large database that is filled with genetic markers known to be associated with particular conditions.
The Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project began in 1990 with the intent to map the human genome in attempt to understand the code that is responsible for the building blocks of life. The project was completed in 2003 and the result is a large collection of data that acts as a means to understand how the DNA code can be manipulated and how specific genes affect the larger organism as a whole.
That data has served as a wealth of genetic information that is only now beginning to be utilized. Participants have donated their DNA code along with their private medical records so that genetic conditions that can be linked to specific genes. As a result, services have begun that now allow consumers to have their DNA compared to this genetic database.
Genetic Markers
By submitting a simple saliva test, patients can have their DNA extracted and compared to the genetic markers that have been identified within the Human Genome Project's database. According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, a genetic marker is: "A segment of DNA with an identifiable physical location on a chromosome and whose inheritance can be followed. A marker can be a gene, or it can be some section of DNA with no known function. Because DNA segments that lie near each other on a chromosome tend to be inherited together, markers are often used as indirect ways of tracking the inheritance pattern of a gene that has not yet been identified, but whose approximate location is known."
One known genetic marker is stomach cancer. This means that all those who have been diagnosed with stomach cancer within the Human Genome Project have had their genes flagged for comparison to those of healthy, non-stomach cancer patients. The result is that a pattern of genes, DNA and chromosomes emerges that allows the laboratory to calculate the probability that a patient will get stomach cancer in the future. This probability is an extraction of how many flagged genetic markers the patient shares with those who have been diagnosed with stomach cancer via the Human Genome Project's database.
Treatment for Genetic Predispositions
Once the results have been reported and the probabilities assigned, the patient can meet with a genetic counselor or trained physician to create a custom regimen of treatment. Since everyone's DNA is different (including identical twins), the treatment is customized to combat the patient's genetic predispositions. Typical treatment involves some basic lifestyle changes such as eating better, exercising, etc. However, there are nutraceuticals, vitamins and minerals that have shown significant abilities in retarding development of some genetic predispositions. A trained physician can customize a patient's program to combat those specific predispositions.
DNA Assessment, Knowledge is Power
For the first time, humans have the ability to look into their DNA and fight the mutations that some believe are the cause of aging and disease. These mutations are caused by the cosmic rays of space which destroy DNA and cause alteration of the genetic code like a bowling ball into pins. As this mutated code replicates itself, it becomes slightly different in each generation like the children's game of telephone.
It is for this reason that identical twins are not exact genetic copies. Their genes have mutated differently as their places in time and space have caused different microscopic events that have resulted in the differences over time. Identifying the differences as these events unfold can give a new view into the human body where genetics is seen as a dynamic and maybe even treatable.
Source
Nussbaum, Dr. Robert. "Genetic Marker", Website Genome.gov, Talking Glossary. National Human Genome Research Institute.
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