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:
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—Richard Herrnstein (1930–1994)
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—Albert Camus (1913–1960)