Passport for a newborn

Genetic scoring will become more accessible to ordinary people in the near future

Yulia Koshkina, Naked Science

Today, DNA tests are gaining more and more popularity, because they can be used to determine whether a child has a risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other serious diseases. In addition, doctors can already predict the likelihood of breast cancer (by the presence of a BRCA gene mutation) or rare hereditary diseases, such as sickle cell anemia.

The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are tumor suppressor genes and belong to the OK group ("general control" genes). These genes are responsible for the development of some forms of breast cancer.

However, not all diseases are associated with mutations and they cannot always be detected with a single test. Here, genetic scoring technologies come to the rescue (from the English score – "score points"), when several parameters are evaluated at once using accumulated DNA databases around the world.

In addition to a wide list of diseases, the method of genetic scoring also allows you to determine the level of IQ, propensity to crime and neurosis.

Cardiologist Amit Kher is sure that in a few years every person at birth will receive a medical card with genetic scoring, which will indicate the indicators for each of the 10 most common diseases. "For example, the risk of cardiovascular diseases is 90%, the risk of diabetes is 10%, and breast cancer is 50%," the specialist explains.

Genetic scoring will make it possible to prolong people's lives, as patients will have the opportunity to adjust their habits and lifestyle and as a result reduce risks. According to the scientist, the price for such a procedure will not exceed $ 100. For example, the development of a test that determines a predisposition to Alzheimer's disease is already being completed. The cost of the test will be $99, Khera said.

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