Sunday 19 May 2013

The Importance of DNA Sequencing to Medical Treatment

By Armand Zeiders


Every cell contains DNA and this DNA is responsible for holding all of our genetic information. DNA is responsible for why we look the way we do, such as having brown hair or blue eyes, but our genes also contain information about our potential for developing a host of diseases. These include diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Tay-Sachs disease, hemophilia and many more.

Scientists study the structure of the DNA mutations that cause these diseases to develop as well as studying what causes the mutations to occur in the first place. Using DNA sequencing is one method of study that is helpful to scientists. This is a way to determine the exact order each of the nucleotides within a single DNA molecule. These studies have led to the creation of many helpful genetic tests.

Another term for genetic testing is carrier testing and this is usually conducted to find out diseases which can be transmitted from parents to their kids. A glaring example of this is the Tay-Sachs disease, which prompts physical and mental deterioration and which is triggered by the mutation of genes of chromosome 15 in the human body, especially among French Canadians and Ashkenazi Jews. If both parents have the disease, it is 25 percent likely that they would have a child with the said condition and 50 percent so that the child would be a carrier but not affected by it. Because of the research done, parents can then make the right decisions about having kids.

Expectant mothers also can be screened for a variety of other genetic issues that might affect a fetus and the fetus also can be tested to determine whether it or not it has a specific disorder. With early treatment, the effect of many disorders can be negated for the infant. In addition, knowing about problems ahead of time helps parents better prepare for a variety of health-related issues that might affect their child.

Genetic testing could also be done on people for the primary purpose of finding out the risk levels that they may have in contracting cancer. In women, learning about the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 may be important in determining the possibility of breast cancer. Women who came from families who have a history of breast cancer should go through genetic testing so that they would know if they are at risk. Being informed about this is a necessary step towards the prevention of cancer.

There are four distinct genes that could be attributed to Alzheimer's disease. If there is a mutation in any of these four genes, one could actually be at a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease as well as other forms of dementia. Knowing that there is such a risk, one can certainly take steps to prevent or to reduce the risk. It is true that that there is no cure for Alzheimer's but once treatment is done early, the disease's development is slowed down significantly. It must be pointed out though that genetic mutation do not necessarily mean that one is going to get the disease; it just determines the risk levels.

The process of DNA sequencing is often outsourced to biotech laboratories, along with other helpful services such as DNA or RNA synthesis, peptide synthesis, protein analysis and polyclonal or monoclonal antibody production. All of these services are crucial components of medical and biological studies. As scientific advances are made, more tests and hopefully cures will eliminate many of these medical issues for all of humanity.




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