Genetic Susceptibility To Disease
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are single bases within a gene sequence that differ from that gene's consensus sequence, and are present in a subset of the population. SNPs may have no effect on gene expression, or they can change the function of a gene completely. Resulting gene expression changes can, in some cases, result in disease, or in susceptibility to disease (e.g., viral or bacterial infection).
Some current tests for genetic diseases include: Cystic Fibrosis, Tay Sachs Disease, Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS), Huntington’s Disease, catastrophically high cholesterol, some rare cancers, inherited susceptibility to cancer. A select few are explored below.
Read more about this topic: Public Health Genomics
Famous quotes containing the words genetic and/or disease:
“Nature, we are starting to realize, is every bit as important as nurture. Genetic influences, brain chemistry, and neurological development contribute strongly to who we are as children and what we become as adults. For example, tendencies to excessive worrying or timidity, leadership qualities, risk taking, obedience to authority, all appear to have a constitutional aspect.”
—Stanley Turecki (20th century)
“For somehow this disease inheres in tyranny, never to trust one’s friends.”
—Aeschylus (525–456 B.C.)