What is Genetics 2.0? Genetics 2.0 describes the phenomenon that has developed due to the recent ability to accomplish faster, cheaper, genome sequencing. Gone are the days when the high cost of a genetic test restricted an individual’s ability to learn more about himself. Now normal people can learn about their own genomes, the genome of their loved ones, and eventually predict and even modify the genomes of their children.
Genetics 2.0: An Introduction
In 1990, the U.S. National Institute of Health began work on the Human Genome Project, which had the goal of determining the sequence of the genes which make up the DNA of a human being. The scope for the use of this knowledge is as yet undefined and controversial. It will perhaps effect not only medical care and lifestyle choices but life assurance and employment opportunities as well. A complete sequence of the human genome was finally obtained in 2003, and this information paved the way for genetic studies known as genome-wide association studies.
Genome-wide association studies take advantage of personal genetic information known as SNPs, or single nucleotide polymorphisms. An SNP is a nucleic acid whose position is known, and it can appear as one of the four nitrogenous bases: adenine, thymine, guanine, or cytosine (ATGC). Due to a property known as linkage disequilibrium, a particular version of an SNP (for instance, Adenine) at some position will almost always be linked to a nearby gene. Therefore, for any given gene, it is possible to determine what allele a person has based on his or her SNP at a specific location. Genome-wide association studies seek to determine which alleles are associated with which SNPs so that this data may be useful in the future.
Genetics 2.0: The International HapMap Project
The HapMap Project has helped to map out the haplotypes of the human genome. A haplotype is a combination of alleles, or versions of genes, that are transmitted together from generation to generation (see Linkage Disequilibrium). The HapMap Project sequenced over 1 million SNPs for each individual in populations from Nigeria, Beijing, Tokyo, and Utah residents of European ancestry. What they found was that certain haplotypes (indicated by SNPs) were more common in different populations. Through the data they collected, it is now possible to tell where a person came from based on his or her SNP data.
Genetics 2.0: Your Personal Genome
Now that the technology exists, it is possible to determine the common SNPs for an individual. Three companies, 23andMe, Navigenics, and deCODEme, offer complete genome SNP data for their customers. From this data, you can discover what diseases you are at higher risk for, where you genes come from, and when your genes come from. Such information can be used by parents when considering what symptoms or diseases to watch for in their children, how to best raise their children, and in the future, parents may use their own genetic information in oder to decide which genes their children get.
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