2010 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2010. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.

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Do vaccinations have anything to do with DNA?      Kate Reed, M.P.H., Sc.M.: I currently work as a genetic counselor with both children and adults. As a counselor, I help geneticists with diagnosing people with genetic conditions and helps families understand and adapt to diagnoses. I also works as a project director at the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics where she helps to teach doctors and other health professionals about genetics. Vaccines are substances designed to create an immune response within an individual to protect him or her if ever exposed to that type of virus. Vaccines create a protective, low-grade immune response because the body recognizes the proteins on the surface of the virus. Because proteins are coded for by DNA, vaccines do involve DNA. Shikellamy High School in PA (9th grade student)

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