Talk“Can You Scan My DNA?”
People are often asking our company if they can buy a test that will “scan my genes for everything.” No, not yet, but perhaps soon. Today’s Wall Street Journal has a cover story on technology that is leapfrogging genetic research and genetic testing.
Microarrays are small microchips coded to detect DNA sequences from a blood sample. They can scan 100,000s of gene variations at once – enabling researchers to conduct research that is significantly more comprehensive, faster, and cheaper than previous lab processes for genetic testing.
But let’s not just talk about what science can do. Let’s think about what it means. The WSJ describes microarrays as allowing us “to search for genetic roots of some of humanity’s most common traits.” Indeed, many conditions, such as diabetes, are believed to involve not one but many genes. Research is underway for genetic underpinnings of obesity, autism, depression, Alzheimers, and many other conditions. Learning more about genes also tells us more about environmental and other factors. As a result, gene findings can help us develop better screening, preventive measures, and treatments.
Technorati Tags: DNA testing, genes, genetics, disease, diabetes, autism, depression, alzheimers, obesity, microarrays
April 18th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
You mention Alzheimer’s and I have heard that there is a genetic test for this disease and yet I have not been able to find it easily offered on the web. Why is that?
April 19th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
I suspect that is why you’ve been unable to find easy testing because the genetic tests available to date are limited.
At this time, testing mainly focuses on families with early-onset disease in
multiple family members. Only a small percentage of Alzheimer’s patients (about 1 percent) are found to have the specific genetic changes that this testing detects. (Early-onset refers to younger than age 60-65.)
Testing for more general Alzheimer’s risk — known as ApoE — has significant limitations and the interpretation of test results is not straightforward. For example, it’s not clear how much risk the different ApoE test results confer.
Our company (www.dnadirect.com), for example, does not currently offer ApoE testing for these reasons.
The UCSF Memory & Aging Center has a special Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Check out: http://memory.ucsf.edu