Epigenetics
Greatest Advancement
In my oppinion, one of the greatest advancements in epigenetics is that it can help us Identify genetic deseases, and can lead to treatments. Genetic conditions such as cancer, heart desease, mental illness, addiction, diabeties, etc…, could be treated.
Using cancer as an example: cancer is caused when genetic and epigenetic flaws add up and turn a normal, healthy cell into a tumour cell. Epigenetcis could find a solution to cancer and other genetic conditions by using our own genetic makeup.
(image: learn.genetics.utah.edu/)
How is Epigenetics Being Used?
- Gene Therapy: Replacing a mutated gene with a new correct one. Introducing the new gene can lead to the body being able to kick out the desease.
- At this point gene therapy is still dangerous and it only being used as a last resort.
- Precision Medicine: Looking at an individuals specific genes, enviroment, stress, and lifestyle (diet, use of drugs, use of alcohol, smoking, physical activity, etc…), thus giving doctors better insight into preventive mesures and treatments. Doctors will be better suited to care for every specific individual, consiquently individualized care could be more efficeint and have better personal outcomes.
How is it Changing the World?
- Epigenetics is helping us understand how our enviroment and lifestyle choices affect not just us but our future genetations.
- Epigentics could lead to treatments for hundreds of genetic caused diseases.
- Epigentics is helping us discover why specific groups of people are more suseptible to certain deseases.