2005 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript
This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2005. 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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How can the Human Genome Project be applied to identifying and treating genetic disorders?
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Bob Nussbaum, M.D.: Every person has at least 1 in 1000 bases of DNA different from any other person. This variation in DNA can be of no significance OR can be responsible for differences in our appearance, tendency to various diseases, athletic abilities, personality traits, and many other aspects - but, of course, genes do NOT determine everything. Much of what we are and what diseases we suffer are the result of environmental influences, diet, upbringing, education, etc. Even though there is a complex give and take between genes and environment, we can make progress in finding genetic variation that affects our health and tendency to various diseeases. By finding these changes, we can help people by helpiong them change their "envionment" by letting them know what life style changes, behavior, diet, medications, would be particularly helpful to them or are of less importance than to someone else with different genetic variation. |
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