Baby's First Test

CUTAG of the Week:

As adults, “Whole Genome Sequencing” is something we can do to find out more about our genes and predispositions we carry for diseases in them. When babies are born across America, they are required to do a “heel stick test”, testing their blood for diseases that if found early on, can be reversed. Whole Genome Sequencing in newborns is likely something that will become common place in hospitals, testing babies for not just treatable diseases they may have, but for predispositions to diseases that there may not be a known cure for. Do you think it is ethical to screen newborns for all genes, even those like breast cancer that do not have a definitive cure? If you were to have children, knowing that your baby is predisposed to an incurable disease, would your opinion of them change?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/12/03/165272373/genome-sequencing-for-babies-brings-knowledge-and-conflicts

Mother DNA

CUTAG of the Week:

Most genetic association studies examine the genetic material found in somatic cells, often overlooking mitochondrial DNA (mDNA).  This DNA, like DNA of the Y sex chromosome, is inhertied without any recombination such that it is identical between the offspring and the parent.  Mitochondrial DNA is preserved through the maternal line, however (versus the paternal line in the case of the Y chromosome).  How much attention does mDNA deserve as far as predicting inheritable traits?  The aging process is indubitably determined by a variety of factors beyond genetic makeup.  How much weight do you give the disocveries of the study discussed?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130821132710.htm

Genetic Family Swap

CUTAG of the Week:

It has been common knowledge for years that certain genetic variations inherited from our parents or ancestors can predispose us to certain diseases. For example, a mutation in an inherited gene HER2 can predispose a person to breast cancer. A new study has linked a mutation in a males sperm to an increased likelihood to develop ALL, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, the most common type of blood cancer in children. Even though it doesn’t directly cause ALL to develop in children, do you think that men looking to have children should now have their sperm tested for this genetic variation? For women, knowing that your potential partner has this mutation in their sperm, would you be less likely to have children and stay in a relationship with your partner? For men, knowing that you have this variation, would you be less likely to want to have children?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121217102556.htm

Are you "normal" ?

CUTAG of the Week:

It is amazing to think about how interrelated all of our genes, as humans, are to one another, even though our appearances make us look so different. Scientists have found that the same inherited genetic variations in humans lead to some of the most common mental illnesses in America. Often times, knowing that someone has a mental disorder such as schizophrenia, they are looked down upon as being “not normal” and perhaps in some cases this could be the defining factor of keeping a friendship or not. If you knew that someone close to you had a variation in these genes, would your opinion of them change? If you yourself had this genetic variation and could change your genes to “normal”, would you?

http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/08/19/5-major-mental-illnesses-traced-to-same-genetic-variations/58642.html