Cracking Your Genetic Code
Parkinson’s. Huntington’s. Dementia. Cancer. Sound familiar?
These are diseases that can be genetically inherited and passed down. Unfortunately, in most cases, they are incurable. What if there was a way to detect these diseases before they develop? What if you could take preventative measures before it’s too late? Would you even want to know, or would you want to live in ignorant bliss not knowing the truth of the inevitable?
With the development of gene sequencing technology, it is possible to take a sample of your own DNA to a lab where your DNA can be extracted from your blood and have all 6 billion+ nucleotides read and analyzed. In doing so, your likelihood of developing diseases such as the ones mentioned above will be calculated based on the sequences of nucleotides present in your DNA. These sequences are compared to the sequences of the DNA of other healthy individuals. The more your sequences differ from the other DNA sequences, you probably have a genetic mutation which means that you are more likely you are to develop certain diseases.
I’m really sorry if I scared you! I’ll be honest, when I learned about the topic of genetic disorders I got a little nervous because I myself do not know what I could be at risk for. Frankly, I don’t even want to know. If the diseases I could be at risk for are unavoidable, I would not want to know because that knowledge would probably prevent me from living my life to the fullest. However, I do not discourage any of you from finding out which diseases you are at risk for. There is a saying that goes, “Early detection = early action.”
Check out this trailer for Cracking the Genetic Code if you want to dive a little deeper into the world of genetic sequencing:
This documentary explores the lives of different people with different diseases who have been treated at the genetic level. Each person has had their DNA sequenced and analyzed for mutations. Once these mutations have been found, scientists were then able to develop a drug to fight the disease. Do any of you remember CRISPR? Scientists can now combine genetic sequencing with CRISPR technology to snip out the incorrect code and replace this code with the correct one. That’s some crazy life-saving technology!
The topic of genes is fascinating and my team and I have been learning about them all month. If you would like to learn more about genes yourself, check out this super cool website that takes you through so many games and simulations to explain every topic related to genetics.
If you would like to discover more about other medical breakthroughs regarding genetic diseases, here’s a trailer for a documentary about a scientist who developed a cure for cancer!
Works Cited:
“Cracking Your Genetic Code Trailer.” YouTube, 9 Feb. 2012, youtu.be/UPzid88oSFc.
“DocLands Presents: Jim Allison: Breakthrough (Official Trailer).” YouTube, 1 Apr. 2019, youtu.be/TfwiyqhC92U.
“Learn.genetics.” Learn.Genetics, learn.genetics.utah.edu/.
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